Can you tell when a root is no longer alive

[Orchidtinkerer]

So over the past months I keep recommending people to remove rotting roots, this is good orchid husbandry in my opinion but every time Estacion seca comes along and disagrees.
Pleas don't take this the wrong way Estacion but that is how it has been, you are the only person that disagrees with me on this, I don't think it is a secret that you don't cut roots and I advocate it so I want more opinions on it.
I believe once a root has a loose velamen then the velamen has died.

Estacion believes otherwise and unless it completely disintegrates he believes it is still performing a function.

So thoughts on this please. Who leaves the velamen on their roots even if the velamen can be squeezed and has lost all its firmness?

I don't want to keep butting heads with Estacion. He has 10k posts and has been growing orchids for years but this is something I completely disagree with and I believe leaving loose velamen causes problems and can even lead to a plant developing stem rot.

I could keep disagreeing with ES and him with me but I want to get a vote on this to clear up this matter once and for all. If I am wrong then I will never recommend a repot again - that is absolutely fine by me but I believe I am right and ES believes he is right and I think people trying to learn deserve the right answer.