I suppose that depends on your definition of "database." This argument is very close to the No True Scotsman fallacy. Nowhere in the definition of "database" does it say that it won't default to truncating your data when you try to stuff it into a field that is too small. MongoDB, Riak, VoltDB, PostgreSQL, and CouchBase are all "databases" and they all have varying levels of strictness.
"it's the wrong tool" is an opinion and it is unsupported by history. It many cases, it's exactly the right tool and users are given the power to control the level of strictness they they require. Want to allow GROUP BYs that don't include all non-aggregate columns? Sure, you can do that. Or not. Want MySQL to accept what you give it and throw warnings instead of errors? Yep, you can do that, too. Or not.
The defaults are bad. No one will defend that. They are also easy to change. A privilege level allowing/denying the ability to change the sql_mode would be a welcome addition, also. Yet, MySQL is a capable tool that does some things really well, something things not so well, and some things terribly. Just like every other product out there. It is a tool. It works well for many, but not all cases. Apparently, you find it inadequate for your particular needs. I get that. You shouldn't use it.