I'm not resistant to change otherwise I'd still be playing Doom or maybe Pong. What I don't like is when things go backwards and that's what it looks like to me. I like to be immersed in my games and when the graphics remind me more of something from the 90's it decreases the immersion factor. Now I'm not a stickler I often play with graphics not maxed out in things like FPS games because the action means I'm not wandering around admiring the scenery (well sometimes, but rarely).
In a game like Civ the graphics are an important part since there is very little action. If I didn't want good graphics there are spread-sheet type games that are all numbers: but I don't care for that much (had enough of that in the TRS-80 days). I was very happy each time the Civ V graphics were improved.
I just totally agree with you. Just be careful not to repeat it too often here because some moderators may get angry :/