You are certainly not alone. As a solo traveller I far prefer row 2 to row 1, although plenty have expressed the opposite point of view when the issue has been raised before.
I also think you are right that "reserving" row 1 for Golds gives those seats a cachet and a desirability that arguably they do not deserve. It would be interesting if BA could conduct a social experiment - perhaps by putting tapioca pudding on various dessert menus but then restricting this choice to gold cardholders. I suspect it would take a full 90 seconds before someone had started a thread dripping with outrage that as a mere Silver/Bronze/Blue they were denied the chance to take the frogspawn and were instead left with 'mere' apple pie/cheesecake/cheese selection/whatever...