I had a Samurai tank as my Whm in Qufim, and it wasn't bad at all. In fact, player skill (of everyone but me, because I was a first job newb) made the party one of the better low level parties I've ever had. In Crawler's Nest as my Blm, I had a Galka Monk tank. Once again, the party went swimmingly. You're right that these two jobs should be viable tanks. Samurai have the best parry skill in the game, and third eye. Their AF has enmity + and bonuses to things when recieving enemy attacks. It screams tank. Counter has to be the best defensive skill in the game. Why evade, block or parry when you can get the same damage negation and deal some of your own?

Why are these jobs not tanks? You're right - it's community stupidity. You might take a chemistry class and see whatever hundred elements there are on a periodic table. A FFXI vet sees only Oxygen because it's the most useful. Five food groups? The FFXI player sees only cereals and grains. No other collection of people on the internet is as artificially limiting as this. Min-Maxing gone entirely wrong. The 8-Bit Comics Rdm on crack. Still, I'm as addicted as ever. FFXI for life.