There's a difference between being passionate about something and being knowledgeable about something. Though I think Perl attracts more people who are passionate then some other languages...
I disagree about people using CPAN and not contributing. I think people who benefit, should want to contribute and should if there able, but I don't think it's a mandate.
If Linux finally gets a large share of the desktop space, would end users be in the wrong for not subscribing to the kernel lists or submitting patches?