I'm currently playing through XCOM on normal, and having an enjoyable, if slightly difficult, time. It's not a style of game I'm used to, so there are moments when I make mistakes that I'm sure a lot of people would classify as 'rookie mistakes,' but I'm still enjoying it.
That said, I do understand why some people would play on Easy mode. And, not to be 'that guy' or anything, but aren't a few of you sort of missing the point? Like, saying they should have just added a 'n00b' difficulty, or saying that some people 'are actually playing XCOM like it's The Sims 3: Aliens and Guns Edition' is being really harsh. Maybe some people would like to experience the game once without being crushed by the challenge. I know that once I got the hang of Normal mode, I abandoned a game to jump to Classic mode, and promptly got my ass kicked, so I reloaded my Normal game to get an even better fix on the game. I'm sure there are people that would just like to try the game without worrying overmuch about being kicked in the teeth by it, and I'm sure a lot of those people, after beating it on Easy, will try it again on a harder difficulty.
Calling people out for wanting it a little bit easier just seems a bit immature, in my opinion. It's not like there's anything in the game forcing you to play it that way. It's just an option in the game that you could totally ignore if you wanted, like changing the language setting, or choosing whether or not to have subtitles on: it might add something to someone else's experience, but having it there isn't taking away from yours.