I'm a little annoyed that MtGox effectively is bitcoin. I've been spending my mined coins on goods from various merchants and it has been working great. That's what bitcoin is designed to be, a currency. Recently there's so much speculation and people buying, holding and selling that so much focus has shifted away from the real use.
Mining was never supposed to be the primary means to obtain bitcoins. As long as people are still being paid salaries in other currencies, they'll need to use an exchange to buy bitcoins if you want them to participate. On the other side of the (bit)coin, do you suppose those merchants you're buying from can pay all of their suppliers in bitcoins? So they need the service of an exchange, too.
