HN was almost always negative about the crypto currency hype. Even when shitcoins were at ATH. So, no. The criticism is not after the fact.
> If these people really could foresee these events happening, then they could have made a lot of money by taking short positions.
Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent has been a cliche for almost a century. That is to say nothing of the absurd cost of taking a short position and the counterparty risk of dealing with unregulated exchanges.
> As far as I’m concerned, you don’t say anything unless you put your money where your mouth is.
The motivation for a lot of us was to prevent our less sophisticated friends and family from blowing up their savings. The idea that one shouldn't be critical of obvious scams unless one has a financial interest in them is not a particularly well thought out take.