Most of the hate is because of the maintainers not maintaining their security certificates. Another similar distro is EndeavourOS, which I personally prefer. But either way, find what works for you.

“How did a stealth fighter go missing?”

By doing its job.

I agree. I don’t even remember when I installed my current system. Sure there have been a few hiccups, but I’ve always been able to recover without getting frustrated and reinstalling.