I don't think the question is how much does it affect me at the moment, but what it means for the game in the long-term, and the relevance of most mid-game content. The biggest question it raises for me to those who agree with it is why aren't they all proposing starting at Lv50 and pushing for it? Low to mid-game content obviously has no real purpose or meaning, right?

Does anyone recall ever having a crystal or shard drop from a mob that they killed? This game functions off that very simple utility, and with Powerleveling, those small rewards are being removed from the game. This will lead to people farming in groups or with alts for crystals and shards their server's community will most likely be desperately lacking in. No basic necessity for crafters means not much crafting going on.