I recall rounding a corner looking for a bad guy one day and looking into the barrel of a 22. It was HUMONGOUS! I'm sure a 32 or 380 would be worse. I'm not volunteering to stand down range and play catcher for anyone shooting any of these "weak" cartridges!
Perfectly rational from my perspective. I have a serious aversion to being shot, and the ballistic effectiveness of whatever someone is/would be shooting at me with would not be high on my list of thought-process priorities at that instant. I recognize that being shot with a 22, 32, 380 (draw the line where you will) might present a statistical advantage in still getting enough oxygen to my brain to facilitate reciprocity (shooting back), but it doesn't mean I'm not going to die or be messed up forever. In other words, I'm not going to be any braver if I know someone is shooting a "weak cartridge" at me and I'm no less concerned when someone is carelessly swinging the muzzle about if it's not a 44 or 45.
Just a note on a completely irrational perspective in the case of the 32s:
People have told me that shooting an auto well is "easier" than shooting a revolver well. I've not found that to be intrinsically correct, but I've still always found shooting autos well more challenging personally because I have this hangup about where the brass is going. I've always wanted to mess with the 32 ACP and have read numerous articles from days of yore which speak highly of its applications afield. I'd be too obsessed with grubbing through the weeds to recover 100% of those precious (and tiny) cases to enjoy it. I know that's irrational and I should get over it after so many years of shooting, but it would impair the practice, practice, practice aspect of responsible selection/application of a defensive tool.
All the same, if that particular "pocket full o' fun" were a 32,..... I'd be even more tempted. I just have to keep reminding myself that "my 35s are my 32s, my 35s are my 32s, my 35s....
And, now I can't get that old Jim Croce song about Leroy Brown out of my head.