I can see that you're upset about cloudfare being forced on anyone using the large instances. And all things being equal I'd prefer that users weren't forced to accept that choice too. You're right that the large instances are not democratically governed, that's what I was driving at. I don't think the solution is steering people to small or self hosted instances. Any small instance if successful will become a large instance that by default is controlled by one person or a small group. But more importantly, most people just aren't going to do that. The solution should be addressed at a system and process level, not by relying on people making personal choices. Personal choices are important, and significant social movements typically start with a small group of people taking a harder path and advocating change. I'm not poo-pooing boycotts and things like that, and education/awareness is important too. But again, what I'm driving at is let's get big, but do so democratically. It's great to have our little corner of the world that's sun and roses, but as long as there are giants roaming around we're at their whim and will eventually get stepped on. Sure, we can boycott mcdonalds, but we're essentially begging them to make a change. What if we could demand it by right, because we own it? That's what I'd like to see, cooperatives everywhere, that can compete on equal footing with corporations.