If you post an argument online, and the only opposition you get is braindead arguments and insults, does it confirm you were right? Or is it just self-selection of those who argue online?
The essay is actually trying to tone down the hype to avoid a backlash, which might be a very good thing (but only if he is right and people should not be concerned). I is only the rationality presented in the argument to which I object, which obfuscates the actual problem.