@SteveA @futurebird this sub-thread is a great example of how replies should be done: sincerely and politely. A true Reply Guy would have just hotly accused the post of using "obscure jargon" or "jingoistic inwords" or something.
I will say I have found more sincere, polite discourse on Mastodon than on Twitter, with a few caveats:
1) Reply Guys absolutely do exist on Mastodon. I've seen them myself. Mostly taking the form of people defending Mastodon's open source nature without admitting that there's still room for improvement here.
2) Often that politeness can come off as condescension. I'm pretty sure I sound condescending with my use of words like "discourse" and even my focus on politeness itself. I don't mean to be snooty, I swear!
3) I'm a cis white male, so my experience at Mastodon has been different than theirs. Anyone who defends Mastodon needs remember that not everyone has the same experience here. I play the game of life on its easiest settings. Others do not