Why do some think it wrong to want to spend your life in academia instead of the "real world"?

I've been in the real world: salesman, typist, college recruiter, librarian, editor....the real world sucks. I am now back at university as a teaching istant getting a small salary and free tuition to teach two undergraduate cles while I finish my graduate studies. I love it here: I am not around racists, Bible thumpers, rednecks, provincial people.....and I am a lot happier. The company I keep here consists of multilingual people, well-read people, open-minded people, people from all over the world......why wouldn't anyone want this life? Universities are a great place to get away from narrow-minded people who hate other races, gay people, atheists, freethinkers......