Its not a contentious issue at all. People just get offended when their 'beliefs' are proven wrong. I would say that the average person would rather believe what they believe than accept that they are not fully informed.
There is absolutely no basis in fact that synthetic oils are 'more slippery' than dino oils... and I would love to see the manufacturer's statement that claims that. Heck google will tell you in seconds that is hogwash.
People still believe that a crankshaft will 'bend' if stored horizontally... yet the same crank altering forces magically disappear when you stand it upright.
Performance motors have to sell you on the 'ego' of a high HP motor. And admitting that running $12/gal wally world 5W-30 is just as good as VR-1 then that really takes the wind out of the sails of the whole 'performance' thing.
And the kicker... no one has anything to refute the manufactures claims that I post. I'm not saying these things.. GM/Ford etc are. So shooting the messenger is also a way to defend the belief that most people have.
Use what you like.. really, pour in the tears of orphans if you like.. its your motor and your money.
