I'm not convinced either way here, yes you shouldn't place yourself in such a vulnerable position. But, like I said already, there are cycling facilities that encourage just such behaviour. Then there are the cyclists that are there first and a large vehicle pulls alongside. When that happens to me I look for eye contact, escape routes and have even scooted part way through a junction to make sure I'm safer.
On the flip side there is the huge problem of vehicles with limited visibility mixing with other road users, especially the more vulnerable. My gut instinct is that improvements can be made in that area as a priority. I definitely get a sense of 'acceptable losses' around traffic accidents that wouldn't be tolerated in other areas.