I don't think they're necessarily "extremists". Different cultures, different countries, different legislations, and different dogs create varied opinions on the topic of collars and harnesses.
Here in Montreal, IIRC dogs above 40 lbs must be in a harness and wear a collar at all times when out in public, and must be held on a leash no longer than 6ft outside of designated area. They must wear their license, be microchipped and be neutered unless you get a special permission.
Having a border collie, if I left his harness on at all times, his fur would get matted and he would get infections as he loves to get wet in summer, so I take it off when indoors. He's also not a flight risk, but I still leave his collar on most of the time because he spends a lot of time free in the backyard.
Another dog may have short hair so matting may not be an issue, or could be a flight risk, yet another dog may live in the countryside and have nowhere to go but home. Some countries have easy access to microchip scanning at a vet, some countries require you to go to their SPCA equivalent to get the microchip scanned, and some countries don't even require microchipping.
TL;DR opinions vary based on experience and situations, and no one is right or wrong. See my pinned post, but I encourage conversation.
Hahah no biggie! I think me using the royal "you" may have felt more personal than it should have been and came off as a PM in the interface
Thanks for posting! Don't worry about it, netizens love to argue, and I'm guilty of starting a few flame wars myself 😅