The thing you have to understand about the ardent small-blockers is that they really genuinely believe they are protecting Bitcoin from a very real existential threat.  If Bitcoin's security properties get diminished, there's no going back, no undoes or fixing the problem.  It is a permanent change that irreparably weakens Bitcoin.  What you view as overly zealous conservatism they view as appropriate caution given the risks involved.  Now, I happen to think even given the risks that they are overly conservative, and I support a hard fork blocksize increase... but I don't begrudge them for sticking to their guns when from their point of view, they are defending Bitcoin's very existence from what they perceive as a very real threat that might destroy Bitcoin.