Sure, I don't see how that justifies dismissing peoples concern about cost.
Often this is the case. It depends on the game. I think most people like being able to buy the core book at a price that feels good to them. What they are willing to spend is a factor publishers have to consider.
Sure inflation is real. But it also doesn't matter if a person has adapted all their purchases to RPG books costing a certain amount. Whether inflation is the cause or not, to a lot of people, who don't feel their salaries have gone up with the cost of inflation, such changes are going to hurt. I am not saying companies are bad for charging more. I recently had to charge 50 bucks for a 270 sandbox adventure. I wanted to charge 29.99 or 39.99 at the very most. But it just wasn't feasible. However if people tell me it is not affordable, I understand. I don't spend that kind of money on a book casually myself
And I am not singling out D&D as being expensive. I just think in these conversations the argument that people shouldn't worry about the cost is dismissive. People in this hobby vary considerably in their financial situation and there are a lot of people who make less money than others, or who have other expenses they need to prioritize. We shouldn't be telling people they ought to buy a book because somebody else thinks the price is reasonable. If they find the price unreasonable, they find it unreasonable