It might be a little of both... if you can't get Handwavium to work for you, you don't have a mindset compatible with it.
On the other hand, a lot of people on Earth probably haven't bothered - like the Make community, it's really still going to be a (relative) minority of the populace that has done it, most people really aren't interested in DIY technology building, and Handwavium certainly counts. And a relative minority of those are the Fen themselves. The Fen are merely the most visible because they've got the itch to be the true trailblazers.
(And now that I've said THAT, I imagine that there is a really small relative minority in the Make community that despise Handwavium because it's a "shortcut" in the process, especially when you're doing a DIY thing to actually learn about something.)
--
"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor
On the other hand, a lot of people on Earth probably haven't bothered - like the Make community, it's really still going to be a (relative) minority of the populace that has done it, most people really aren't interested in DIY technology building, and Handwavium certainly counts. And a relative minority of those are the Fen themselves. The Fen are merely the most visible because they've got the itch to be the true trailblazers.
(And now that I've said THAT, I imagine that there is a really small relative minority in the Make community that despise Handwavium because it's a "shortcut" in the process, especially when you're doing a DIY thing to actually learn about something.)
--
"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor