Speaking as a software engineer, I believe that humor is the only effective way to communicate anxieties to students. There are several reasons why storytelling works. For one, it sugar-coats the lesson. It makes the point more memorable. And, for some students, it seems to be the only way to give them any appreciation of why they they should change their ways.
Programming is a profession, just like welding or accounting or dentistry.
Courses in programming are by their very nature pre-vocational courses, regardless of whether or not they are intended as such. Students that feel an interest in becoming professional programmers should be all means have access to advanced courses that teach good style, preferably in a structure-sensitive language like Pascal. It would be a waste not to do so, in light of some of the young geniuses we are seeing more and more often these days. Sure, give these kids what they want. I'm all for it.