I have yet another weird problem I haven't encountered before (FET related)

[R.G.]

am I missing something, or is bad practice accepted practice?

You're not missing anything. Bad practice is accepted practice.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it.   

Protecting your circuits against forseeable misuse is a part of good engineering. Of course, most pedal design is not "engineering", and often not "design".

[artifus]

Of course, most pedal design is not "engineering", and often not "design".

jolly good fun though