I believe that it may have started with that hack who wrote that "all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death."

What was he thinking?

I don't think they're useless at all but rather useful and in many contexts more-accurate than the grammatically-correct singular.

Second article I've read in the past day by some whiny stodgy literary old man for whom rules are tantamount over both comprehension and vernacular language. Fuck them all to kingdoms come!