Ah .. Morph (Mork) and Mindy and then there was Cheers with Cliff Clavin dispensing wisdom. Cliff was not a 16 Ga. fan and often argued his point ad nauseam.
Yes, there is a 28 gauge society. I think that everyone acknowledges that commercial 16 Ga. ammo is lacking in both quantity and ejecta diversity.
That said, in my opinion there is no finer upland bird gun than a 16 Ga. Game gun and I define game gun as a SxS weighing 6 lbs, with a straight stock, splinter forend and double triggers, choked Imp. Cyl. and Modified. And reloads make the gauge perfect.

Jim