I think a lot of people who wear VFFs would rather be running barefoot but they don't because they're afraid, whereas people who run barefoot are just going for it. You have to admire that resolve on some level even if you wouldn't do it yourself.
I'm a barefoot runner and I often get asked why don't I just get a pair of toe shoes. At times when I want to wear shoes, I still wouldn't wear toe shoes. I'd wear something else. It's just a matter of principles. Whenever I see someone in a race wearing toe-shoes I feel the urge to beat them.
Most real barefoot runners are kinda crazy and on a mission. We have something to prove. We have a real lust for life. I just don't see that kind of fire in the people that go for the toe-shoes.