I’ve come across some pretty levelheaded people from that instance too

This was me (for some definition of level :D)

I joined .ml before I really understood the differences. Even once I realised the connotation, I didn’t switch until I realised that !meanwhileongrad@sh.itjust.works was blocked on that instance. That made me think about what instance I wanted to join (based on what communities I was most active in) and then I switched over here.

So, there are definitely a mix of people on each instance. It makes me sad when I see people jump to conclusions based on instance, although I also understand it if 90% of their experience is of a particular type of person.