I suspect it's because we in SoCal prefer actually getting work done instead of being trendy and being seen hanging out with other trendy people doing trendy things.
Although I do exclude certain portions of LA and Hollywood from this description.
If you knew you were phrasing it unproductively (if the way you phrase it causes a valid point to get downvoted, that's unproductive), why not change the phrasing? E.g. "That mentality may be trendy these days, but I've found that the open office space approach can make it hard to find time to really focus and get things done."
Still gets your point across, but presents it in a less antagonistic way, leading to productive discussion rather than downvotes.
1) Hacker News is not about getting people to think through shock value. And I think a lot of us would leave if it were.
2) Anger about grave moral atrocities causes people to think. Anger about someone antagonistically phrasing a denouncement of their working style causes people to write you off as a troll and move on with their lives.
Although I do exclude certain portions of LA and Hollywood from this description.