I tend to agree.
Tom, and most people actually, don't apply the scientific method in filtering their view of reality and cause/effect, thus vastly inflating the value of anecdote.
Tom sees "I did X, and the result was Y".
That means to him "Doing X caused Y, for me".
That then also means to him "Doing X will cause Y, for you, and in fact for everyone"
Without controls and application of the scientific method, the assumption of correlation with causation and the extrapolation of anecdotal evidence gets you to some very weird places. but sometimes they are financially lucrative places, and getting there does not bother you if you do not have a skeptical / scientific mindset.