i think those kind of people forget that not everyone can afford to care for and house a large snake like a retic or Burmese. I LOVE to handle young retics and think that they are absolutely beautiful. However, I am a realist and also know that I am not (nor will I ever be) set up to take on a snake that large.
My BPs give me the same enjoyment of handling and caring for them without needing the assistance of another person to help me handle them, the room to keep adult rabbits to feed them, or having to sacrifice an entire room for one enclosure.