Balance is absolutely a detriment to the game.
Meta slaves loose their collective shit if their favourite job is like x% below some else's. Or they operate under the assumption that everyone plays perfectly therefore you don't need [x] ability. Now all we have left is [increase DPS by x%].

It's high time we discard that unrealistic goal of achieving perfect balance. We've seen where it leads for two expacs.

>>>>> And, no, it doesn't mean go from one extreme to the other. <<<<<

But I'd happily play a weaker class if it is fun to play. Many jobs aren't, I'm sorry. Especially in conjunction with brain-dead content.