Bitcoin is too real and too good. Eth is basically the same system they already understand. Pay to play.

If you are a true shitcoiner, you necessarily will degrade bitcoin as 'old tech'. Private companies that control shitcoins are highly profitable and utilize their fiscal influence over politicians and media to justify the existence of their shitcoin which necessarily requires they discount the validity and value of bitcoin and the 'old tech' that makes bitcoin what it is. Most people are initially attracted to crypto because of the opportunity presented by FOMO around shitcoins. When the muck the shitcoin was built on is eventually exposed by a FUD induced fluctuation in the market, a new batch of our fellow bitcoin maxis are minted. If we can assume Vitalik believes his own bullshit, we can be assured that when ethereum eventually crumbles he too will be a fellow maxi.

I think you are right to raise this, it is a non-trivial question.

Bitcoin is not appealing to most people at a really deep level. I think it's because its central ethos is replacing trust with cryptographic verification, and people really don't like the idea the fact money is asocial in that way. The fact that it doesn't have a leader, or a company or foundation, or any human way to influence it marks it as negative at a subconscious level.

So it's like they can accept the idea of "crypto"(currency) as sexy new tech, even if it's somewhere between far-fetched and a ridiculous scam, and they like that their are clearly identifiable organizing groups or even companies behind them.

But an actual new type of digital object that is outside human control is just objectionable to most, and all the more so, because they really didn't understand it when they first heard about it and still don't, now. That part is kind of embarrassing.

Propaganda from the powers that be has convinced people that PoW is evil. The people who made the propaganda fear the power and status they'll lose if Bitcoin is widely adopted. They benefit directly from the fiat spigot.