I think there are some cases where this line of reasoning makes sense. They impose progressively-less-fair rules and fees, so we look for loopholes, hacks, and workarounds. If the "thing" we're trying to get is something we actually did at one point have as an included part of travel, I can see why people pursue it. I agree that the airlines have made this an adversarial us vs. them relationship, not a bilateral business partnership.

But using this method to get into lounges? That's in a different territory. It isn't like we can argue that long ago, they let us in for free and have since taken away a benefit. If anything they've made it a lot easier to legitimately enter the lounge. Using refundable tickets to get in (knowing you're going to cancel them) feels wrong in any era, on any airline.