In my experience programming is more about formalising the domain of the problem than it is about shuffling bits around. Take a minute more than need and you'll lose hundreds. Get the answer wrong? Lose millions. Domains where you deprioritise correctness for speed just... don't seem that interesting too me. No need to look down on memory managed languages. Personally, Haskell and APL impressive me more, but I don't have shit on the author for being stuck in an imperative paradigm.