Yup, designated initializers is a big one why I prefer C to C++.

Another big one is implicit casting of void ptrs. I cast void pointers to specific types A LOT. There are many situations where you have to cast void pointers (that come from an abstract API that only deals with untyped memory) to specific types (higher-level application code), and I can't really be sure, but I think there isn't a nice way to do that in C++.

It might be because C++ wants you to use their elaborate abstractions and templates, which in many situations is just fluff that makes programs harder to read and maintain.