I loved my fixed gear bike, and then 2 consecutive free-wheeling single-speeds...
when I was 5-9 years old and riding kiddie bikes, pretending they were motorbikes!
Even the fixed gear was a step-up from the knight-rider big-wheel I'd owned previously...

I REALLY loved my first geared 12-speed when I was 10 and every half-decent geared bike I've owned since.

I view the increased complexity as an improvement (for my purposes at least) because it lets me go faster. (likely not faster than you, but faster than I would with a "simpler, cleaner-looking" machine...)

I bear no person or bike any ill will, ride what you love, but I personally have no interest what-so-ever in going back to a single-speed or fixed-gear ride.

Cheers!