There's good and bad/pros and cons in everything. If I were to add my opinion on how mixers were when they were allowed here, I'd say they are ultimately bad. They were custodial, there we rug pulls, and overall oversight could have been better.
Generally, mixers can enable a right to privacy. One the other side, mixers can enable unethical or criminal activity. Then there is the topic of what kind of mixer, how it operates, if it is custodial, non custodial, and so on.
In every sphere, there is the good, the bad, and the ugly.
We just need to try to choose the best option out of the presented ones

I didn't catch that era in its full swing, however, I do agree with you on your last sentence, it's about what mixer we are talking about too.