I agree with you fully here. This is my issue with (PvE) GW2, and why I won't be playing PvE in GW2. I don't like having to focus on damage dealing at any point. To use an example from another game, in League of Legends, I enjoy playing characters like tanky Alistar and support Janna because they provide a ton of control and support. They control the positioning of enemies, provide ambient healing, or block damage taken by allies. Unless you build them heavy AP, their damage is almost totally negligible. They provide very active control and support that requires a lot of situational awareness. You don't have to be a heavy damage dealer in order to have an active playstyle and require high situational awareness, as long as the abilities are designed around these things. Just because the character does not deal noticeable damages does not mean I hang in the back staring at life bars. The problem is that many games like WoW force their support (healer) and control (tank) into very passive playstyles with a lot of abilities that are funneled entirely through the AI, or don't require an active playstyle.
It's a moot point though, as they have already stated that the design goal is for everyone to be a hybrid DPS. I'll just avoid doing any PvE in GW2. It does get frustrating though trying to explain to people that full support/control characters and an active playstyle / situational awareness are not mutually exclusive. You don't have to be capable of devastating levels of damage for these things to be present.