Greetings from Muskoka.
Good analysis on Steem dollars. It is interesting the various different channels that many are taking with this new rise in value of SBD, but each channel leads to a greater value placed on Steem and Steem Power.
This also shifts the incentive for people to choose a 50/50 split for rewards, rather than 100% power up. If people could choose 0 power/100% steem dollars right now, I'm sure everyone and their mother would. Anyone choosing the 100% power up option are (as you say) not experienced in trading.
The other option you didn't mention was delegated steem power. While the ship has somewhat sailed for blocktrades issued DSP because you need to wait in queue for a couple days now, it is by far the best way for new steemians to leverage their Steem dollar rewards, at least in my opinion. That may change depending on the ratio of SBD/Steem.
But I agree with what you say, the tactic (conscious or not) appears to be in keeping people inside the steemit ecosystem, which is great because I believe the talent and creativity is the driving force (ultimately) behind the success of the platform. Remove the draw for new talent and scare away the existing talent, and you're left with a worthless cryptocurrency. Keep the talent invested in the platform itself by leveraging and compounding the profits, and its a no-brainer.