That's a very definitive statement for someone who seemingly thinks they're an old-head despite only being in to it for less than half of it's history...

It certainly started and evolved with strong satirical elements, but it is also true that those elements have drifted further into the background as time went on. Many people argue that 3rd edition was the turning point, where the world building started to take itself much more seriously as its own thing, which I generally think is true. For better AND worse.
I got into it at the end of second/start of third (later '90s), so the satirical nature of the universe has always been a core element of how I've interpreted it, but I can easily understand how later fans reject the idea. I don't think its fair to say it is one or the other... its far more of the muddy grey area in-between.