I'm sorry to inform you that the internet is not an anodyne safe-place. Consider your emotional reaction and continued need to engage, down this off-topic path.
Um, dang is one of the moderators here. Trying to shut town off-topic rants that lead to flamewars is part of his job. He's engaging because he's trying to educate you on how people are expected to behave on HN. (And it's good that he tries, rather than just banning you. And it's good that he keeps calling out and shutting down garbage; HN is trying to hold on as a place where you can have an intelligent conversation rather than drowning in insanity.)
If he's a moderator, he can shut this thread down if he likes.
In my opinion my experience adds some context. On reflection I'd be happy to change 'crap' for terrible and so on, but I can't edit that (historical time-out I guess).
Now, if you'll excuse me, my comment has actually spawned a really interesting, intelligent conversation with an Australian about the conduct of the main protagonist of this article, and I don't have any more commentary to add on this point.
