Reddit reviews Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage

> That is, put simply, descriptivists claim that the only naturally occurring characteristic of language is change, therefore, the only naturally occurring characteristic of language should be change.

Linguists do not "claim that the only naturally occurring characteristic of language is change," not by a mile.

And in any case, you're drawing a description/prescription dichotomy that does not actually reflect what linguists believe. What linguists would insist on is the following:

1. There is such a thing as an empirical approach to studying language, in which usage recommendations have no room.
   
2. Usage recommendations should be rationally justified and informed by empirical work on language.
   
   Thus you often see, for instance, linguists commenting favorably on usage manuals like the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage, which grounds its usage recommendations on careful argument and evidence (e.g., example citations from skilled writers), and panning authors like Strunk & White who tell you to avoid the passive when they can't even reliably identify it.

It’s fun watching idiots try to get the upper hand when they have zero idea what they’re talking about.

By the way: [you’re welcome!](Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage https://www.amazon.com/dp/0877791325/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_od60AbRAE12C6)