You're totally right about personal preference - If someone doesn't like my stuff I just think "well, they probably don't like cake, therefore their judgement is debatable anyway."

I think the crux of the matter is the attitudes of the writer and the people around them. Yeah, you can write something that's not great but if people still commend your effort and suggest how to improve rather than just saying YOU SUCK, you learn. Especially in this community - I kind of like to think we're all in this together.