The chicken or the egg? Yes, but are they bad writers because they 'abuse' italics, or do they abuse italics because they are bad writers?
Italics are not "fancy fontery", they have been around as long as type, and are no more or less valid than any other font. Their use does not...
Italics are only a font style, not a commandment from Moses Cogito is altogether too hidebound in his attitudes to the use of italics....
Separate names with a comma.