there are no stories about gedolim being so oblivious they walk into trees. those are stories about illuyim. and, yes, those stories are somewhat degrading as well; people don't say them about gedolim.
Perhaps one persons "Gadol" is for another just an "illuy"? Perhaps?
Well, I'll tell you. For sure.
Guys like @lamdan
and others here (2 others come to mind, they know who they are very well) will always just pull out the "You'll burn in gehenom", "You're playing with fire" or "you better do teshuva before yom hadin" and worse -scare tactics. That may work in Lakewood or maybe still in Cheder, not here.
Instead of sticking to inteligent conversation, they resort to these old shtet'l techniques (oddly enough, strikingly similar to the type of wording pashkevil-writers are expert at).
Their intolerance is sickening.