[unabst]

I would go far as to say it's obfuscation. But I don't think the CSS people feel the same. At this point I've chalked it up to a difference in philosophy and ideology.

Brevity, explicitness, obviousness, conciseness, and symmetry all contribute to the simplicity and order of a language, which minimizes the learning curve and maximizes ease of utility.

If that were the goal, there are tons of things that could and would have been done differently.

Most lists such as that of the OP and most criticism of CSS I find to be about users from a user standpoint criticising something about CSS that is either obfuscating or obstructive to their experience and productivity.