For instance, at Moonrise Towers, a lot of the guards there are Drow, but do they feel like drow? Would you know if you didn't examine them? Could you easily point out which one was a wood elf instead? I think this problem happens because the exceptions grow to the point that the significant culture and *feeling* of the race is lost, diluting into the generic thing it's becoming.
I cannot be more agree, it's the aftermath of the very high fantasy and "code-breaking" turn of the 5th edition. This has the effect of smoothing things out, making everything relative and interchangeable, and losing a certain authenticity and depth. In the end, it all becomes just a simplified skin story.
Your example of the Drow guards is an excellent illustration.
