Reply To: Derech HaLimud of the Vilna Gaon

The chassidim were used simply as an example, because it was a large scale example of discarding of minhagim, mesora and nusach.
The concept of minhag and mesora was more applicable in 1700″s and prior. People rarely left the village they were born in and the cohesiveness promoted the maintenance of the minhagim and mesora. However , the rise of chassidus, the haskala, massive pogroms and emigration have led to mixing of populations and the difficulty of most people have in identifying their mesora and minhagim