Dude. You didn't have an unhealthy amount of exposure, it was people randomly pulling it up out of their own volition and you saw them. You could and did pull up what you wanted, so why do you care?
Who are you to say they shouldn't be? Why are you the arbiter of who can and can't watch what?
That one TVTropes thread was just one example of one of the seven Barneyfags I had come in contact with during my high school life.
One was the one I had watched "tryhard edgelord metal videos" around, and he also liked Everybody Loves Raymond, Simpsons, Home Alone, Friends, Magic School Bus and Dudley the Dragon, but I saw him watching Barney the second most. The first being Raymond, constantly going onto its website and playing that golf minigame.
Another one had actually picked up one of the Barney VHSes in the bin, and that gave them the signal to put that on for her. She was one of the 2-hour Barney bingers.
Another one I saw was kinda small, he was one of the 2-hour Barney bingers, also watched other shit like Baby Einstein, Teletubbies, We Sign, etc.
One of them was a downie fag and he was one of the 2-hour Barney bingers, and was the one I remember seeing watching Barney in the same room as all the dadrock concerts such as Pink Floyd, Queen, Rush, etc.
Another one I saw watching Barney a few times. I also did see her watching MLP once, but it was the G3 series.
I think there were a couple more, but I don't remember much about them. They were all typically nonverbal, except for the occasional grunt or moan.
I think the main problem with them is that they were watching it in public. If they managed to completely hide this shit from me, then good for them. They decided, "I'm gonna let the world know I watch a shitty toddlers' show". I can't accept that.