You're not wrong about the problem, but there is an issue: sometimes the defaults are really, really bad — e.g. C-a as a prefix character, when anyone who uses emacs keybindings is used to that keystroke taking him to the beginning of the line.
The solution, of course, is to improve the defaults, but that's not always practically possible. Sometimes the maintainers refuse to do the right thing, and sometimes there is no right thing (e.g. should be use C-{b,f,p,n} or hlkj?).
I'd rather have a system which enables me to mold it to myself — even at the risk of being unable to use the same system configured differently — then have a system which forces me to do the wrong thing.
The solution, of course, is to improve the defaults, but that's not always practically possible. Sometimes the maintainers refuse to do the right thing, and sometimes there is no right thing (e.g. should be use C-{b,f,p,n} or hlkj?).
I'd rather have a system which enables me to mold it to myself — even at the risk of being unable to use the same system configured differently — then have a system which forces me to do the wrong thing.