I'm not sure what message EWS is trying to convey. For me, I have only valued its' esthetics (camera work, set design, score, lighting, gorgeous naked women, etc). But I don't have to think over it too critically to realize that the movie flaunts elitism. But unlike a move like "The Good Shepherd", it doesn't seem to effectively convey, or even want to try to convey, anything of moral value.
I don't hate it, as it is good cinema. But Stanley Kubrick had issues....
To add to your 'when I was young...' line of narrative, Taxi Driver is one movie I didn't get when I was a teenager. But when I rewatched it as an adult, it was a 'holy cow' moment. The universe made sense suddenly.