I didn’t read it that way.
Pointing out that being able to buy the most expensive model and then risking harm to it is something not everyone can afford is not stiffling the discussion. It is the discussion.
It is hard to be aware of one’s own biases due to personal circumstances. It is a “fish can’t see the water it is swimming in” kind of situation.
Many people I know don’t consider phone protectors on an aesthetic axis, but on the “what is the probability that this slippery brick falls and shatters and then I won’t have a phone for the next few years at all”. If you are financially in a situation where you can buy a new flagship phone at any time you might not even think about this viewpoint.
You might even feel attacked for being privileged enough when someone points that possibility
No, really. Just what is it with that fragility? Did people get all defensive back in the day when someone said "that's only valid if you are sufficiently rich"?
Might be that I just never noticed it, but it's getting real annoying just how often people get all defensive about what they said only applying to people who have it good enough
Comments like that are online bullying.
If you have a financial/wealth argument to make, by all means make it ... then let it stand on it's own merits.