Amazing that the limp wristed defeated a great caliber. Shot the .40 for many years in USPSA competition. Still carry that caliber for SD with stouter loads. Ain't skeert of recoil.I'm sure you know this as well as I do, but, for those who don't, here goes: After the shootout in Miami, when the FBI was looking to replace their "ineffective" 9mm service pistols, Smith & Wesson developed the 10mm. The FBI adopted it, only to find out later that some of their smaller statured officers could not shoot the 10mm round effectively. Smith & Wesson then went back to the drawing board, downsized the 10mm, and developed the .40 S&W cartridge from it (thus, the forty "short and weak" to fans of the 10mm). As for the reasons behind the popularity of the .40 S&W, the rest of your argument explains that quite well.
My M&P with mag extension carries 21 rounds of .40 with one in the chamber. If it isn't over by then, someone is in trouble.