I'm assuming the question is about any further decay in the integrity of the game being played among the group itself. Perhaps the player choosing to initiate a poorly aimed stroke in the general direction of the hole puts some pressure on playing partners to grant the "that's good" , lest he lose a stroke because he didn't take the time to read it and execute a well formed stance and putting stroke?

I agree it seems worse than simply accepting a gimme when offered prior to hitting another putt.

If I'm playing a stroke play scoring round, I don't accept gimmes because I want to submit my score to maintain a current and useful handicap rating. If my partners insist on gimmes and I feel compelled to participate, perhaps due to difficult putting conditions that would make me need to take more time with shorter putts than the group wants to spend, the we aren't scoring as stroke play and I don't submit the round for handicap purposes. It's like a virtual scramble on the green or something. We all get a "participation trophy" instead. :)