Both of my Dobermans are cropped, and I'd absolutely do it again. I was with both litters before, during, and immediately after cropping, and I wouldn't really call it a traumatic experience at all. The most "traumatic" thing the puppies went through during cropping day was the effects of the anaesthetic. They whine and wiggle and move sort of erratically as they're waking up (just like any other dog I've had under for anything else), but as soon as those effects are worn off, the pups are up and trying to walk around and play with their littermates. The majority even eat about an hour after waking up, and all are eating by evening when they're all back home. Because the ear was cut, the pups shake their heads a bit and attempt to scratch at their new cups on their heads, but not because of unbearable pain. I can't say that it's not a uncomfortable for them... I'm sure it is to a certain degree. But mostly they just seem itchy when they do happen to think about their ears. By the next day they're running and playing and wrestling together like nothing ever happened. And if one puppy happens to hit a sensitive spot on another puppy's ear, then that puppy lets the other know to back off a bit. And then play resumes.
Proper aftercare is a major aspect of how the puppies are going to feel after ear cropping. If the breeder isn't doing a good job of cleaning up the ears and helping them heal, then for sure, the pups are going to experience some pain. But if the breeder is diligent in proper aftercare, then the pups really couldn't care less. Also, veterinary experience makes a big difference too. Only vets experienced in the art of cropping should be cropping puppies, because they know what they're doing. There are too many vets out there who say they can crop a dog and the dog comes home looking like it's been butchered... not a good thing.
Anyhow, that's just my feelings based on my own experience. I used to be on the fence about ear cropping before I got Dobermans. Now that I've been around a few of my breeder's litters, and helped to raise the last one, I don't see what the big deal is anymore. I'll always be pro-choice... crop if you want, don't crop if you don't agree with it. But don't force others to conform to your idea of what's wrong or right, especially if you have zero experience with the prodedure of cropping.
As far as tails go, it's not uncommon for a lot of dogs to injure their tails when they whip it too hard against something. I've seen quite a few tail injuries on dogs with similar tails to what a doberman would have, just because they hit it too hard against things as their tails aren't protected by anything and the dog is strong. Lots of Danes I've met have had their tails amputated at an older age, as well as one Dal, because they injured them too badly. Not saying that this would happen to every Dobe with a tail... but it's a possibility.