When the TJ came out in 97 I bought one, and listened to the crap people said about it not being a real jeep. Then people eventually realized it was in fact a better handling jeep on the road, the aftermarket stepped in and all of a sudden this was the jeep to have! Now I have a jk in my stable too, and folks say "are you really going to take that pretty new jeep off road?" sorry no soccer dad complex here. The jk has a very similar suspension to the TJ, (much improved imho) a more powerful power plant, especially with the introduction of the pentastar. Stronger axles for the most part, (ugh my TJ has a dana 35 c.. Can you say puke?) Out of the box the JK is more capable. I love my TJ, and I wheeled it stock for most of its life, (it went places that built 4x4 trucks couldn't think of going) but to say that the new jeeps are not real jeeps is plain ignorant.
Don't let the idiot people who make comments like that get you down. A "real jeeper" would never say something like that.