Absolutely - but pilots who are not completely on top of the automatics and comfortable using them where appropriate are also not real pilots.
This is undoubtedly true, and is the reason why modern training emphasises such aspects as careful FMA monitoring and both crewmembers checking FMS programming.
However, recently as an industry we seem to be losing airplanes not because of automation mismanagement, but rather because when the automation "gives up the ghost" (and sooner or later it always does), guys seem to have forgotten how to actually fly the airplane.
The point of the thread -I think- is that there are very few (if any) pilots uncomfortable using automation nowadays, but try switching off A/P F/D A/T and watch the sweat start to roll... we have definitely gone too far in one direction.