So, Hanlon's Razor suggests "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity", but I would personally add, "never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by a difference in preference." Crawford may or may not be the ultimate authority on the game he helped write (that seems an open-shut case to me but I also subscribe to the idea that D&D, like all TTRPGs, belong to us) but ascribing malice to such examples seems like more than a little bit too much of a stretch.
Also, not to be that gal that leans on appeal to popularity, but considering the vast increase in new players (and indeed, new DMs) and that these numbers have only risen throughout the years, I just don't see there being much evidence to support that position and a boatload that refutes it. I mean, they gotta be doing something right, no?