Butter (Storage and Cooking)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter#Storage_and_cooking
Butter also has many non-culinary, traditional uses which are specific to certain cultures. For instance, in North America, applying butter to the handle of a door is a common prank on April Fools’ Day.
Well, the article points out that covering butter delays rancidity, which is hastened by exposure to light, air, and heat. French butter dishes are designed to sit out on the counter and enact a type of seal to keep the butter fresh.
That said, opinions about butter storage seem to be all over the map. Blackberry User was horrified when the idea was broached that it does not live in the fridge, Android User shrugged and said his family had always kept it out on the counter. Internet searches & straw polls with friends indicate the same spectrum—some peoples’ families kept the butter on the counter always, some in the fridge always, and some walked a line in between the two.
Is butter that controversial? I can’t believe it’s not.
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P.S. What’s your stance on the great Butter Battle?