My theory:

Jeez, @avclub-f7dafc45da369f8581fdf3bd599075aa:disqus . He made fun of a few smarmy comments (none of which, I assume, were made by you) on a pop culture site you happen to frequent and you take this as a personal attack on your own abilities in your chosen career? You think maybe you're overreacting a bit?

I think this is a bit of a culture clash in some ways. Sharpling (and Wurster) are snotty punks from way back, and in those snotty DIY indie days of yore being a prick was something to aspire to and people in general were a lot more thick-skinned. Plus communities and subcultures were a lot more insular, etc.

This us-vs-him mentality is making me realize how football riots get started. Or the fandom wars they mention in the article. He made fun of a few comments in a particularly annoying article, it doesn't mean everyone who's ever commented here has to take it so personally.