So you're saying that with NO haste, you have enough time to cover the large, telegraphed, high damage abilities and get you out of the danger zone, and this is correct. So haste allowing you to "play faster and looser" is your big selling point on haste as a mitigation stat? Because it allows you to essentially cover x% more of the non-threatening melee abilities? Haste is great for a lot of things, but that's certainly not one of them. All things equal, if you can cover the real damage (ie Trip Punc, Talon Rake, Dread Thrash, what have you) with no haste, adding more haste does little to nothing to help your survival/mitigation. At that point, mastery is better at keeping you alive, by further reducing the "scary things". I won't argue that haste's benefits to SoI healing and HoPo throughput are great, but those aren't mitigation stats.
So, running with your law student metaphor, let's play this out. Basically, at this point you've said that "I don't raid but I know how it works". This is more or less the same as that law student telling the justice that "well I've never heard a case, or tried one in court, but I read the book and watch Law&Order". Learning things on paper or in a classroom is great, but anyone in any field will tell you that 95% of the important stuff is learned on the job. Unless you're a theoretical physicist or something equivalent, you need to actually apply what you're learning about at some point. Coming into a classroom and trying to argue with the professor that he's incorrect because you can regurgitate a fact from a book does not make you correct instead. Further, all it will succeed in doing is alienate you from your peers and your tutor.These are the reasons I say that there is one correct way to play a Protection Paladin so far in this tier. Because I do not personally raid progression, does not render my argument invalid. You act as if someone that doesn't raid progression lacks firsthand knowledge about how to do anything, quite an elitist attitude, honestly, and it's not true. I have a fine insight into how the class works and how it should function.
To make a comparison, if I'm a first year law student and I fully understand the First Amendment and how it is applied in the United States, I have full knowledge of this topic.
A Supreme Court justice would also fully understand the First Amendment and how it is applied in the United States, but just because they are a Supreme Court justice doesn't make them any more correct in their doctrine than I am, in fact, some would say that those in the Supreme Court have become drunk on power and have their own agendas in the way they interpret the constitution.
So to say I don't know what I'm talking about when I have fully studied the issue, and devoted significant time to it, but haven't devoted MY LIFE to it, is just asinine.
The professor got there by applying and defending his positions; you don't get tenure by shouting the loudest that you're the most right. In fact, scholarly or legislative debate welcomes the opposition, they don't shun it. You stating that without a doubt no matter what your opinion is right and anyone who disagrees is wrong shows that 1) you don't fully understand how the system works (which is because you haven't partaken in it) and 2) that you're so stuck on your overzealous defense of your position that any attempt to mathematically, logically or fundamentally show you that there are other, perhaps better truths out there will fall on deaf ears.
There's more than one way to play Prot, just like anything else in the world. Your way is A way, not THE way.