I wouldn't call it cruel, but I would call it dumb. Bungie has a real problem with making content challenging. They can't seem to figure out how to make enemies better, so the default is to just make us weaker. Just like they can't figure out interesting or imaginative ways to deal with Guardians in melee/shotgun range, so every grounded boss has an AoE stomp that punts you across the map. Fun is too hard, so repetitive and tedious is their answer.