> going for it can get the rules thrown in your face while everyone accuses you of being an asshole who is trying to break the rules while,

I don't doubt discrimination exists, and if this has been your personal experience, I'm sorry.

It just seems foreign to me that someone would actually do this for a private role.

If you don't match the skill set the algorithm will filter you out before anyone even knows you exist. If you get by it clearly the reviewer saw something they liked anyway.

What recruiter is going to berate someone and call them an asshole for applying to a job they aren't qualified for? And if that was the case, I'd view it as a dodged bullet.