Gotcha hypocrisy might be a really cheap thing to point out, but they're not wrong.
I have noticed my fair share of Rust Derangement Syndrome in C++ spaces that seems completely outsized from the series of microaggressions that they eventually point out when asked "Why?"
It’s interesting, over the past 15 years I’ve had occasion to work with other c/c++ devs on various contracts, probably 50ish distinct different companies. Not once has rust even come up in casual conversation.
I'm probably a little younger than you, so it's likely a generational thing. I also notice it's a lot more pervasive in internet-driven watercoolers than face to face.