Well to be honest, using rolling to highlight how it undermines racial archetypes cuts both ways, nullifying its relevance; that 18 could as easily been on a half-orc making it 20, leaving the gnome 15. What does that tell us? Nothing much in itself. You've got to compare like with like.
Oh, rerolling is part and parcel of rolling method. You know as much - you stated they were first rolls, highlighting the fact. Any game with rolling means someone will ask to reroll, human nature and all. Heck it's a core part of BG1&2 character creation, but as single-player games, no one cares.
Nah, 6E designers have an overt agenda behind their decision to remove racial stat bonuses, and won't open this up to true feedback. They act like they know best, but recent behaviour revealed otherwise - quite shockingly! This 'play test' has no where near the level of engagement that 5E had in 2012-14 (mere 40k compared to 200k, even though number of players has exploded - very telling) and is no where near as exhaustive. Not to mention no Mike Mearls or reputable game designers. Current lot need clean housing.
Look at the loss of goodwill, it's playing out in real time with Hasbro stock price. That's where it's tangible. Investors know the way the wind blows because it's their money.
Simply put, WotC is repeating the hubris of 4E 2008. The amount of 'trust us, we know best' parallels are uncanny. Omg, what a trainwreck coming.
