question?

[SauceeMcGee]

So why is it so bad to clip during flowering, if you only lose a little? Is the potential of growing a hermie the main reason? I know it's not good for the plant, but most people make it seem like the end of the world.

yes, this is one of the main concerns of doing anything to the plant while it is in the flowering stages of its life.

A.) It shocks the plant causing stunted growth and potential die-back
B.) Because of stunted growth, the flowers could lose a lot of vigor and potency
C.) If seeded bud is something you have worked hard to avoid, a single missed ball sack can eff that all up, and it especially sucks when you have more than one plant!!
D.) It's basically just sad to not see the full results of the plant after putting in so much effort to ensure them...

That's my understanding. Anyone, feel free to add any other potential mishaps of stressing the plant during flowering that I may have missed

[whitegrape]

So why is it so bad to clip during flowering, if you only lose a little? Is the potential of growing a hermie the main reason? I know it's not good for the plant, but most people make it seem like the end of the world.

Most people forget it's still just a plant that can survive perfectly fine without us
Saucee gave you some good replies concerning the clipping.
I just had to do some massive pruning on 20 indoor girls. The lower branches got way out of control and had to go. No ill effects that I could notice.
Some strains are more prone to turn into a hermie then others.
Look at it from the plants perspective. A female plants only purpose is to produce flowers, get them pollinated, produce seeds, die.
If a male isn't present to pollinate then it messes up the females purpose.