Not sure why that makes me a philistine.
“They” is not exclusively plural.
Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages
pronoun: they
1.used to refer to two or more people or things previously mentioned or easily identified. “the two men could get life sentences if they are convicted”
people in general.
“the rest, as they say, is history”
2.used to refer to a person of unspecified gender.
“ask someone if they could help”
So, “they” is plural when referring to a group of people.
“They” is singular when referring to a person of unknown gender. If somebody is obviously female or male and they want to be referred to as “they” then there is the problem. But, “They” is not exclusively plural.
Not a philistine. I agree with you on the usage, but lets get specific here. If you want to argue a point, it helps to be accurate.
You probably think the hysterical present tense is valid.