The whole premise here was that people are being told something

Where did you get that from?? The premise here was that someone (you? Can’t remember) said that “it’s obvious” that someone from the .ml instance would have certain views. Who tells the majority of people on the Internet what kind of instance .ml is?

If somebody’s repeatedly told that they’re probably a lunatic because of the .ml attached to their name they’ll know something’s up.

Super heavy vibes of “if someone’s repeatedly told that they have thick skin and don’t need painkillers because of the dark skin, they’ll know it’s true”.

We need a new name for this - “racism” but towards people using the 'incorrect" Lemmy domain.

This isn’t about not telling people, this is about treating people like they know what they’re doing and telling them

Exactly! “It’s common knowledge that black people have night blindness” vibe.

You say we can’t expect people to know the symbolism they surround themselves with

What is the “symbolism” of the .ml instance? Look at what a new user sees when they get there - their sidebar description and their rules, and show me where the symbolism is that makes them the “undesirable” instance.

I’ll, however, assume that the next person I see wearing a swastika is, in fact, a lunatic moron, and not just a poor fella who unknowingly made a wrong pick in the thrift store.

I’ll, however, assume that the next person I see wearing a swastika is, in fact, a lunatic moron, and not just a poor fella who unknowingly made a wrong pick in the thrift store.

Comparing the .ml domain to a swastika is just peak Lemmy delusion. Get help, friend, go outside. There’s life outside the Internet too!