I see both of your sides on this. I have to add that when criticizing the current game loop, you should also try to do so from the perspective of a new player.
I think when you play a lot, and things are not to your liking, you are more likely to shift your habits and try different things. The fact that you can even do this is great, but at the same time, is this really something that should be in the mind of a new player? It's easy to do when you are comfortable with the game and know every single mechanic.
I have to agree that this feels like an LBD system. LBD might be terrible for some people, and it might not have been very exciting, but I see some differences. The LBD system was never intended to be the actual game loop for starters.. and although some people might have put focus on it, realistically it never was or could be the main game loop. For most people, it was something a little extra you could do if you chose to. Your survival didn't hinge on it and there was always something more important to do. In this case it is pretty clear, especially to a new player, that this is indeed the more important thing you should be doing (and really compared to LBD, there is actually less variety of things to do).
"Just don't use it" or "just don't do it" I think can be valid arguments, especially in this game for some things. There was a time where I would apply that to the trader. I've always hated the trader, so I just didn't use the trader. It was pretty cool that it was balanced where the effort to survive was generally the same whether you chose to do everything on your own or rely on trades and economy. As a new player, you would quickly see these choices and decide on your strategy. These days, avoiding the trader is like removing half of the content and grinding the trader is the go to strategy, conveniently handed to you with no thought required from the player. The trader is the focal point now. Avoiding the trader and the missions for the sake of trying to harness that survival game feeling disconnects yourself too much from that game loop.