Cause in every other final fantasy, Fire/Blizzard/Thunder did almost the same damage as each other. They were equals, if you ran into a mob that was fire-based, you could you thunder or ice to do the same damage.

In FFXIV if you run into a lightning-based mob you are screwed. You can't do nearly the same damage to a mob that isn't lightning resistant. That is my problem, it's not traditional.
But this has absolutely nothing to do with the elements and everything to do with the spells themselves.

That said, I really don't give a rats ass if it's traditional or not in this case. I liked the different spells being given different functions.