Orchids seem to have the reputation of being delicate, hard to grow or impossible. I certainly felt this way when I got mine, I was sure I was going to end up killing them after the blooms rapidly dropped off (due to ice cube watering). However, with great advice, new roots are coming and I am excited about seeing the plants rebloom in my care.

Do you think orchids have an undeserved reputation as difficult plants? Or is it justified in the rare varieties that need intense care? Does it come from the everyday person being gifted an in-bloom orchid, treating it like a regular houseplant without knowing its particular root structure and unintentionally hurting them?

Thoughts?

I don't think it's undeserved at all.
They are very difficult to grow and bloom if you don't give them what they need.
And there are so many kinds of orchids all with different needs.
The trick is to find out what kind of environment you can provide, then find the genus of plant that will tolerate your conditions.

As a non orchid grower, but having been tempted all too often with blurbs about their ease of growth, I've noticed one thing that even the "easy care" orchids seem to demand - bright light - even in winter. Many homes, mine included, don't have sunny windows but rather dim interior light that, from what I've read, would not suit orchids. Sansevieria (mother in laws tongue) is more suited to my conditions then an orchid would be. They are gorgeous though and with proper lighting may indeed be easy to grow..........Maryl

After having grown orchids for over 45 years and having lectured on how to grow them, I feel confident in giving you an answer.
Orchids in general are NOT hard to grow! BUT you have to realize just like every breed of dog is not suitable for apartment living, not every orchid is for everyone.
Lindsey hit it right on the head. You purchase orchids knowing what type of conditions you can provide. You shouldn't jump into orchids without doing some research first. If you jump in without having any idea of what this plant needs in terms of conditions your chances for failure increase significantly.
Among the easiest orchids to grow are Phalaenopsis, mottled leaf Paphiopedilums, and large bulbed Oncidiums.
The next easiest would be unifoliate Cattleyas, warmth tolerant Miltonia, and Dendrobium phalaenopsis types.
Orchids you should stay away from without some experience are Catasetums, Miltoniopsis, bifoliate Cattleyas, strap leafed Paphiopedilums, and Vandas.
Things that are for the very experienced are Madevallias, Dracula's, the old Odontoglossums, and cool orchids in general.

These groups that I have listed are just guidelines.
If you stick to the easier types, your odds of success is great. WE ALL want you to grow orchids and flower them. There is no quicker way to destroy your interest by purchasing something that you can't possibly grow due to your lack of knowledge or experience.
You would want a Yorkie for a small apartment, not a Great Dane!!!
You can't buy orchids on impulse and expect them to all survive.

There's not much I can add to Lindsey and Bill's comments other than to highlight that species are often more challenging to grow (and grow well) than hybrids. That said, some species are relatively easy to grow (for example, Cym. lowianum will take a lot of punishment), whereas it can be a real battle to keep others alive. Species are usually a lot more particular about their environment. This hasn't stopped me from trying, but I've killed quite a few Cym. insigne (surprisingly) and Cym. tigrinum (unsurprisingly) just trying to work out how to grow them where I am (that's the other thing with species... often you will have to adapt advice on growing them to your particular conditions).