Ruined Childhood - As a final f--- you from George Lucas

There is a group of teens/young adults that were children when the prequels came out and may not have even heard of Star Wars until Phantom Menace. As a part of this group, the original part with old Anikin is more Childhood Ruined(he was old as a ghost even though he symbolically died in the lava young and an actual jedi).

But I do see why a bigger group of people see it this way-they were around longer to appreciate the originals.