Ian,
Complying with the user's request needs effectively that validation from somebody who did not conceive the software which is not his profession. But that user must be implicated all along the steps of building the system since his first request to the analyst.That request cannot be just a mute folder. A real cooperation leads analyst and customer to a safe product. Sevilla's test pilots story facing in validation a wrong system , or Warner's death show the danger to ask the user to test-validate the system. Here we are walking on eggs, little steps must be validated progressively.
I agree totally with your last sentence. That fact is really worrying. We are seeing there a negative evolution called "progress"
similar to piloting technical losing basics and grounds.
rh