Because Bogen, outside of New York and other areas of great chareidi concentration, what you call the “fringes” is in fact mainstream. Drive three hours in any diretion out of NYC and you will encounter a far different landscape of Orthdox Judaism, where what you consider to be on the fringes is in fact the only form of Orthodoxy available. Those Jews are not radical in their beliefs. They are not looking to be provocative or buck the system. They are highly committed Jews who strive to observe Halacha despite the great many challenges facing them in those places and despite their small numbers. To do that and to create communities of even minimal vitality they allow for what you derisively label “fringe” Judaism. So while you might consider the issue of a woman saying Kaddish to be merely theoretical, for many others, it is of vital importance.
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