If users get to decide, and everyone is free and honorable in their choice of which node software to run...

Then why do Knots users care what Core does? Core users can run Core, and Knots users can run Knots etc and that way everyone can be happy.

Everyone is free to set their own mempool/relay policies as they see fit... Why would it matter then what 'percentage' of the network runs Knots if it is purely an individual choice? It could be 2%, it could be 65% it's purely an individual choice... and people can mine or relay etc whatever they choose based usually on fees/ideology/personal preference etc.

I agree that it is just mempool policy... but being that it is, it doesn't really matter what Core does because everyone is free to choose their own mempool policies and participate together.

To say otherwise... doesn't make sense to me.