I would prefer sites that don't actually comply with the rules to go the whole hog and not notify me.

You probably know about www.i-dont-care-about-cookies.eu, but just in case.

Interesting that we have to install a massive privacy leak to deal with privacy protection.

problem solved, I updated the plugin and it was misconfigured

Just don’t click “save” - you can still read the article.

The cookies get added to your browser as soon as the page loads, regardless of whether you consent.

that's actually illegal in the EU

You can close the site and not consume the content.

Which is unlawful if your users are in Europe (and also possibly of they're just from Europe?). You are obliged not to discriminate against users who choose not to be tracked (or whatever).

So, theoretically speaking - because I'm not from the EU - if I choose to not comply with that law, is it my responsibility to figure out a technical manner to block EU users from accessing my content, in this global Internet world?

Do you have a a link? If you're based in the EU I assume so, but the EU doesn't regulate the world. (At least directly, if you comply with GDPR you're likely to port that over to other regions to avoid possible legal issues)