Maybe I'm just being picky but your use of " ?!
", makes it appear as though you have an issue with this?
Talk about a convenient discussion Skydiver, and we were only talking about this the other night...
Actually, if it wasn't for Microsoft taking this avenue, I can personally see myself reverting back to C++ or even moving to an entirely new language eventually.
I also agree with both John and Skydiver, if you don't want to use them, then don't. The only way I can see patterns and new C# features being a problem for some; is if you are unwilling to learn them, or if you're working in an environment where you're required to read other people's code who will be encouraged to write using the new features.