Well, that depends, Reggin.
Titles don't make the dog. However, the vast majority of ethical breeders compete with their dogs in some venue. Kennel blindness can happen to ANYONE. Showing your dogs to be judged by impartial persons who are considered to be experts in your breed helps to prove to breeders, and others as well, that your dogs are what they should be whether the competition is in the Breed or the working rings.
If someone is not competing at all, with most breeds, that would raise red flags for me. I would want to know why. I would want to know by what yardstick they are measuring their dogs. How they keep up with what is going on in their breed, etc.
Dogs shows for me are much more than a place to show my dogs. They are a place to LEARN. A place to observe examples of my breed, to see what different dogs are producing, what the youth of the breed is looking like, what the strengths and weaknesses are of the dogs who are being exhibited.
In addition to that, I study structure and movement of other breeds while I am at dog shows, and sit quietly at ringside. Often you can hear excellent remarks from others that help you learn more about a particular breed.
When a dog competes successfully in the breed ring it says much more about them than just their looks. A dog has to have a certain strength of temperament to travel and show well. There are strange places, lots of other dogs, buildings with different smells, and sounds. Being confident enough to stand for exam, and show themselves with flair in the ring takes a dog who can handle these types of stresses and still shine. I am always evaluating dogs when I first start showing them. Does the dog eat well on the road? Eliminate with no trouble? Is the dog able to relax in the crate and rest? Will the dog sparkle for me in the ring when I ask? Even moreso, the obedience ring takes a dog who can perform many different exercises on command with precision with the same stressors and distractions present.
The original comment was made as an attempt to discredit or minimize the significance of the titles I have earned on my dogs.
To me those titles are a true tribute to my love for the dog who wears those letters in front of or behind his or her name. It is their immortality, and a tangible measure of the bond we share(d) together.
JMO as always.