I don't think one really needs to take sides one simply needs to know their tools and know that they can be dangerous if not used properly. Both sides of the coin have merits. Personal I am a big Haskell user so my views on IO should probably be disregarded.
On the contrary, as a Haskell user your views on IO should be kept in a thunk waiting for evaluation if they're ever needed. Unless you're one of those guys who've figured out how to do iteratee IO, in which case I tip my hat to you.
