Evan, I mostly agree with your statement. However:

> Something tells me that, had they used the first line rather than the
> second, we'd never have even heard from Steve regarding this issue.

I agree with that, too, but something tells me that it wasn't so much Stephen's level of qualification for the job (or the apparent lack thereof) but his preposterous attitude that elicited the much-discussed reply. We don't know what Stephen wrote in his resume/application but if it was anything like the one on his website then it is easy to see how someone receiving it could think they are on the target end of a practical joke.