I hear you, and I'm not going to say I completely disagree with you. You are correct; spikes can have different amounts of energy. But a 30us can equally carry 10's of joules as well as 100's of joules; you can't really tell. So yes, the generalization I made is perhaps too "general". But in the industry I work we life test components (capacitors and protection diodes in particular) to quite severe lightning waveforms (the ones which are very short in duration, quite repetitive, and can carry a lot of energy). We work very closely with the reputable capacitor manufacturers as well, and my statement was not just a gut feel, but based on measurements and facts which we have compiled for several decades. In particular you will find that ceramic capacitors are extremely tolerant to dielectric breakdown.
Having said all that, if you do not know the source of the spike; then yes good design practice says to clamp or dampen the spike before it hits the capacitor.