So very true. For me, it's always been that the more I helped, the more I made. I never really went the route of charging memberships and shit like that but your right on with counter intuitive.
Some of them do it because they have the manpower and organization to stretch into other things. Look at PPC Coach, Will has an excellent setup, multiple income sources from being an affiliate, a membership owner, a network owner and a product owner. I dont laugh at them a bit, I too have multiple businesses but it seems that in this game if you are selling something to other marketers, that's a no-no.
I dunno really, I dont pay much attention to it. Everyone has their model/s and that's the way it is. No matter how much you make fun of someone or how bad you think you "pwned" them, successful people always get thru it. The barrier of entry in this business is just too small NOT to succeed.