I don’t necessarily disagree with elements of your thesis here, but that Reddit thread you linked isn’t hating on Norm the way you claim.

The title is “love to hate Norm” because the author is jealous of his shop and skills, and talks about how good he is and how much he’s learned from Norm. It’s like a student guitar player “hating” Jimi Hendrix as he grinds his way through practicing and learning the licks.

The comments are also respectful and complimentary.