Dan...as a fellow dinosaur I have to say I agree with you. Especially on the last point. For us, the theming of the resorts was always critical but it seems that is no longer valued as much by new buyers. For us, the original VWL decor was dark, and I know some people hated the couch design. But the decor to us always fit with what we thought the theming was. When they lightened the colors and made it more generic during a past refurb, it was not an improvement in our mind.
However, many people did feel that it was a great improvement to the "dark and woodsy" VWL of the past. And as long as Disney continues to sell DVC well, they obviously don't feel motivated to put special theming touches into new construction or refurbishments.
We started going to WDW in 1998 and even then we read about how Disney was going downhill. Attractions from the 70's and 80's were closed and there will always be a faction opposed to any change. As a new visitor to WDW at that time, we thought the changes were an improvement. The FastPass system was good, Magical Express started up and then at some point we got significant discounts on admission pricing through Annual Passes. So for us newcomers, Disney was all good and exciting.
For newcomers these days, they most likely feel the same. Disney is certainly investing in the parks with new attractions and even entire lands such as Pandora or Star Wars lands. So they see DVC as a good way to come back and see the parks which continue to evolve.
Nobody is right or wrong here. Disney is doing what they think they should do, and based on attendance it is hard to say they are wrong. But for us dinosaurs, we do tend to miss some of the good old days.