[default-kramer]

I think the reason they get hotly debated is that people's personal experiences with them differ. Imagine that every time Alice has seen an ORM used it has been used responsibly, while every time Bob has seen an ORM used it has been used recklessly/sloppily. I'm more like Bob. Every project that I've seen use an ORM performs poorly, with select N+1s being the norm and not the exception.