I don't think anyone is saying that people aren't nice, or don't deserve their popularity. Or even that the "clique" is hard to break into. Rather, they are saying that popularity shouldn't enter into it.

And hey, what if I buy Photoshop brushes? Then even if I do postwork, it's crap I bought and slapped together and call art. ;-)

I don't think the objection is to postwork, at least not for most people. The issue is that it's always the same kind of postwork, the same kind of art. I like the style, actually, but it's a bit overwhelming when almost every image on the list is like that. I'd like to see more variety, that's all.