Here is my take.
On the surface:
If a diver went oog and ended up doing an alt air ascent or a cesa, the power inflator is oog too and isn't going to inflate the bc and provide positive buoyancy at the surface. The next step is oral inflation. If this is not possible due to wave action, exhaustion, etc, then the diver should drop weights to attain positive buoyancy. The oog diver struggling on the surface should not spend too much time attempting oral inflation, and should drop weights immediately if unable to orally inflate bc. On the surface, when in doubt, drop 'em.
Underwater:
The feces must REALLY be hitting the fan to justify dropping weights. Weight distribution is key, facilitating the dropping of SOME weights. Stop, think, breath, act. Keep your poop in one pile. At the first sign of an emergency, deal with the emergency. People's interpretations of an emergency will vary wildly. If they all dropped entire weightbelts at the first sign of their interpretation of an emergency, we'd be seeing a lot more diving injuries and deaths than we see today. Underwater, if drowning is imminent, as a last option and a roll of the dice for survival, drop 'em.
On the surface:
If a diver went oog and ended up doing an alt air ascent or a cesa, the power inflator is oog too and isn't going to inflate the bc and provide positive buoyancy at the surface. The next step is oral inflation. If this is not possible due to wave action, exhaustion, etc, then the diver should drop weights to attain positive buoyancy. The oog diver struggling on the surface should not spend too much time attempting oral inflation, and should drop weights immediately if unable to orally inflate bc. On the surface, when in doubt, drop 'em.
Underwater:
The feces must REALLY be hitting the fan to justify dropping weights. Weight distribution is key, facilitating the dropping of SOME weights. Stop, think, breath, act. Keep your poop in one pile. At the first sign of an emergency, deal with the emergency. People's interpretations of an emergency will vary wildly. If they all dropped entire weightbelts at the first sign of their interpretation of an emergency, we'd be seeing a lot more diving injuries and deaths than we see today. Underwater, if drowning is imminent, as a last option and a roll of the dice for survival, drop 'em.