  Diffeomorphism invariance is sometimes taken to be a criterion of background
independence. This claim is commonly accompanied by a second, that the genuine
physical magnitudes (the "observables") of background-independent theories and
those of background-dependent (non-diffeomorphism-invariant) theories are
essentially different in nature. I argue against both claims.
Background-dependent theories can be formulated in a diffeomorphism-invariant
manner. This suggests that the nature of the physical magnitudes of relevantly
analogous theories (one background free, the other background dependent) is
essentially the same. The temptation to think otherwise stems from a
misunderstanding of the meaning of spacetime coordinates in
background-dependent theories.
