OTOH, it's exactly what pushed me away from Mint.

I remember not long ago Mint included just about every browser media plugin ever made, including RealMedia, WindowsMedia etc., stuff that was obsolete 15 years ago. Maybe it still does.

All that stuff doesn't just mean bloat, but also significant security risks. You can somewhat get away with it because desktop Linux isn't a major target (yet), but it's just very bad practice that shows a lack of care.