Your argument reminds me of one about forefoot running vs heel strike. Forefoot running is supposedly the natural way to run and some people are really enthusiastic about it, but you say it's really hard to switch, since you're already used to the heel strike you learned in school - and there are plenty of highly engineered shoes to make it comfortable, anyway. And then you conclude: Forefoot runner are delusional, people will never switch and throw away their fancy shoes.

Rust requires you to think differently quite a bit, so of course "experienced" programmers gonna struggle disproportionately. Going from Java to Python is hardly a fair comparison. Rust is increasingly taught at universities, which means people are not as shaped by their experience and habits as much and grow into Rust's way of thinking.

Keep your cushioning, why take it personal?