So websites have to be flat, simple, no shading or gradient colors, etc. or they look "outdated".

Well, apparently being "outdated" isn't such a bad thing then! This is the equivalent of following the latest fashions, not dressing in decent clothes, taking decent care of yourself and your appearance, combing/brushing your hair, etc.

So we all have to follow the silly bandwagons and trends, striving to make our websites look JUST LIKE everyone else's, except for the title and maybe a graphic or two at the top of the page.

In 10 or 20 years they'll look back and make fun of the style of those "twenty teens" websites, and I'll be able to say: I thought it was stupid at the time!

Don't people see that when you have silly fashions, they are just as dumb as you wear them as they are when you look back later? I guess, once again, the majority of human beings are incapable of looking at things objectively. I guess it's almost a curse to have the gift of seeing everything objectively. If one can do this, he will be almost completely alone in his viewpoint.