Sorry for the poor phrasing, maybe you've misunderstood: I've mentioned that I'm interested, am fond of it, and have learned how it works. Not sure what excuses you're talking about.
OTOH, for when I'm not writing a browser, a HFTs, or the next-gen video game engine, the trade offs are increasingly not worth it. On top of that we don't have Amigas to have fun with anymore and stay close to the hardware on (I guess maybe Raspberry Pi qualifies as some sort of substitute) and so that particular brand of hacker, a small group to begin with, keeps on shrinking. That's what I meant by missing out.
I find it hard to read HN discussions about C. One faction is totally amazed by the C equivalent of being able to tie their shoes. The other faction believes shoelaces are obsolete and everyone should wear velcro.
This "my generation has missed out" thing is really odd... If you are honestly interested in it, go learn how it works! The commenter you're replying to should quit making excuses.