@Welsh Wingman - I think a more appropriate analogy would be :
"When we went from horse-drawn carts to motor vehicles, did we attach ropes to the front axles and steer with that (because after all, that's what people are used to), or did we design something more appropriate for the technology?"
and later
"When we went from gigantic steering wheels required for the leverage to move worm-gears, via rack and pinion, to power steering, did we keep the wheels artificially large (because, after all, that's what people were used to), or did we design something more appropriate for the technology?"
If we're to believe the earlier poster, Boeing only retained the yoke under pressure from a single pilot's union (the one that belonged to their launch customer). There has been no unequivocal evidence that the SS/feedback issue has ever played a role in any recent LOC incident (not least because several of them involved yoke-equipped airliners). This argument feels like a cul-de-sac to me, and I think it's a shame we're having it again.
[PS. WW - I'm sure you know which type the sidestick concept was originally tested on, right? ]