I thought C++ was meant to be a lot of things but I don't think it being "hard" was one of the key points of its inception.
Just because you're using a "hard" language, it doesn't make you a better programmer. If the language can be made easier, more productive to write, with less problems and bugs due to memory leaks and inaccuracies, while not impacting performance, why wouldn't you want to do that?
I use many languages. I use C# to knock out a GUI. VBA for a bit of spreadsheet work. Q/KDB+ for database/functional work. R for stats. All of these are far more productive than C++. If you want fancy abstractions, other languages have them by the bucketload.
I don't use C++ to be productive, and I don't expect to be. I use it to get close to the metal and have full control. Everything you code will take 4-5 times longer to write. And longer to compile. You will be careful because you have to be careful, and that's a good thing because with that care comes quality.
Most C++ coders I've talked to (including all of the ones who get paid for doing it) are using C++ to get useful stuff built, not for the sake of 1337ness.