> we had a perfectly functioning decentralized web 24 years ago
AFAIK Section 230 went into place in 1996, so the web 24 years ago was governed by Section 230.
> And we DO pay for our own servers
Without section 230, will whoever (Mark) hosts this content be willing to take liability for everything you and Dvorak say? Will his carrier (ISP)?
It's not about self-managed but true ownership, and to be not liable for others you have to own the whole stack. See: kiwifarms