I suspect there are people that would happily allow Ryanair to physically flagellate them in their seats if the price was right and the plane got there on time. There may even be some out there that take perverse pleasure in going with the Fawlty Towers of the skies.
The point that those who actually fly Ryanair regularly are making is that it is not the Fawlty Towers of the skies. They are an efficient no-frills airline who do what they say they'll do, and no more. Frequently to/from airports that were hardly served at all before, let alone cheaply.
I suspect most of the militantly anti-Ryanair types are near to airports where they have multiple choices - good for them. On the other hand, I recently heard a young woman from Bergamo (although not
that far from MXP or LIN) rhapsodising about Ryanair, saying they had opened up the world for her. If flagellation was involved, she wasn't telling.