The former will be mandated by law, the cookie law requires a way to opt out. Why would you not prefer avoiding a privacy violation over a guaranteed one that is smaller...for now?
Honestly I don't think it's worth trying to engage with these people anymore. They sat silent while websites were asking for license uploads. They were silent while discord asked for face scans. They are outraged that California is trying to setup a system to bypass more privacy violating schemes. They are either illiterate or they know that this is a better solution and prefer the draconian ones.
Assuming that these people (like me?) are "illiterate" and evil and didn't speak out about worse problems because they happen to disagree with this specific (also terrible) development is not a very charitable interpretation.
But I agree it's not worth trying to engage with that kind of rhetoric.
