No they're not mate, it's just you. I've read the guidelines (thanks for helpfully linking them). I see this on HN, people infer offense and cite the book rather than engage.
By not highlighting what you found "snarky" your response is a definitional "shallow dismissal". I see you just "picked the most provocative thing to complain about". Not a lot of being "kind" either.
So you know what would also be great? If you held yourself to the standards you're keen to police around here.
It would be great if we all try to keep the tone respectful and avoid snarkiness to maintain a constructive discussion
https://qht.co/newsguidelines.html