The excerpt starts off by conflating virtue with opinions and ideas as a whole, then embracing the tu quoque fallacy wholeheartedly and running with it. The conclusions shown merely happen to be a bit more agreeable to HN readers. A simple concept swap makes an early comment risible, "It is immoral to be in opposition of Soviet Communism and not live in a hut isolated from it."

Also, the title is definitely editorial by the poster versus the original "The Merchandising of Virtue."