I think what can be seen is people feeling like someone forcing a change on them. Language, culture, habits are really personal. I think the less someone thinks about theirs consciously, the more personal they are.
Also, as many point it out, this change is often spearheaded by entities of questionable reputation. Google, for one, is grilled a lot for their behavior lately, and now they roll this out.
Lastly, I think that this innate and natural feeling, that "they" will come and change our ways, is preyed upon by populist politicians. When people feel like this, it can be, and is being played up by creating the very Boogeypersons you jokingly made up: they point to immigrants, like LGBT people, successful Jewish businessmen, whatever sticks.
