I agree fully with PAA, that anyone not familiar with Gemara would ask such questions. However, the fact that we don’t is not because we learned our lesson not to. It is because (or is supposed to be) we understand that it is not a story; it is a scenario given to understand the guidelines, which will come to use whenever it might be.
Another thing is that the issue where Rebbe Eliezer said Ella Bapellech was where there was an emotionally charged question of why something is fair. Someone that connects that way to a scenario can’t accept logic as an answer.