Why exactly is it bad etiquette to ask to see a losing showdown hand?

[johnc]

The dinosaur to be put to rest is the idea that showing our cards has to be some huge ego buster or an act of shame. The simple situation of someone asking what a bettor has before calling (or after folding) frequently invokes the worn out statement "you gotta pay to see them". Well, if I pay the price (or my opponent pays the price), then I'm entitled to see the cards and I'm not going to get into some ego driven pissing contest with someone if they want to see my cards (if they've paid the price). I also believe that, esp at low-limit tables, most of the players will call just because they are curious and the info they get out of it is either misused or most often, not used at all to their benefit. The only time part of this rule is abused is when players not in the hand insist upon seeing the cards. In these circumstances it's typically some old fart who feels some overwhelming compulsion to exert control in anyway he can and wheezes "Waddit he have? Turn those cards over!". This is when it truly slows the game down and does aggrevate me, not due to some precious piece of info being taken from me, but because it can start to cut into my valuable playing time.