From what I've seen, there's not much to re-learn. Everything is in the same place as it was before, it's just that the layout is clunky and does not look that good.

How often are you in system preferences? Literally I am in there maybe once/twice a month. I guess I don’t see the outrage over minor UI tweaks for a feature I rarely use

It's easier, not harder. You can find settings easily using the search box.

Seems to me like your reaction is rather out of proportion.