GM Joel Benjamin scoffs at FMs

Fellow blogger TCG has already mentioend this on his blog over at
TCG
But still his point needs to be reenforced.
A junior player announced his goal to be FM and asked for advice on how to obtain it from prestigous GM Joel Benjamin. Not only did he have no advice to offer... he had this to say of FMs "I have to say, I have never heard a developing player define FIDE Master as a career goal. Master yes, grandmaster and international master of course, but an ill-respected title invented by FIDE to squeeze more money from title applications? Well, to each his own."
USCF


I know several experts and masters whose sole goal is to make FM. So I find his claim not only unbelievable but quite rude to those who are FMs. While ratings flucuate, for one to claim one title has no meaning is to indicate all titles have no meaning. While this claim has certain logic to it (and appeals to such prestigous figures' opinions like that of Nigel Short)... it is an opinion best epoused as a polite opinion not stated as "ill-respected title." Respecting a person's talent not their title is a commendable statement and a more appropiate prompt than the 'ill' chosen words of GM JB.