Some folks are saying, "Hey Chris, a general audience doesn't care about the difference between Mastodon and the Fediverse. You going on and on about the difference sounds just like GNU/Linux copypasta."

A general audience should know the difference between Mastodon and the Fediverse.

That's because the difference between Mastodon and the Fediverse is in fact huge—and the potential ramifications upon society are great.

I've previously written about why right here: https://mastodon.social/@atomicpoet/109354761662214688

Almost everyone going, "Discussing the difference between Mastodon and the Fediverse looks like GNU/Linux copypasta" is part of the recent #TwitterMigration.

I'm not saying this to be dismissive.

But it is to say it's extremely likely that they haven't thought about the implications of the Fediverse because their entire focus has been on replacing Twitter.

Some folks are like, "A general audience is too stupid to appreciate the difference between Mastodon and the Fediverse."

This sounds like contemptuousness disguised as laziness:

1. Education is the antidote to ignorance
2. A general audience learns algebra in high school. They can surely learn about easier concepts.
3. Accurate information allows people to make informed choices

I generally prefer to NOT assume that the people talking to me are idiots.

This assumption has served me well.

When I talk about the difference between Mastodon and the Fediverse, I'm not being pedantic because I'm explaining why these are *big* ideas.

Occasionally, I'll have a person say, "I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll google it because it sounds interesting."

Which is great! And why no one should assume everyone is an idiot.

A whole lot of evil on the Internet has happened because developers—and the Press—say, "A general audience is too idiotic to know about this."

Awful crimes have been committed because of this assumption—stuff that's had far-reaching consequences that have impacted democracy itself.

Hence, to me "That sounds like GNU/Linux copypasta" sounds hostile and contemptuous.