There's being ignorant from lack of knowledge, and then there's just being an idiot even with said knowledge. Dude knew he couldn't keep aggro, knew what provoke did, and refused to use it because reasons. Not sure how you can defend that.
I know, I get it, I just think people are sometimes a bit over eager to berate others. Generally I don't like that, so my first impulse is to try to caution people away from that.
This is also why I often play devils advocate for unpopular decisions and views. Often feels like SOMEONE should.