I have noticed this trend for a long time also, and well before this article was first written. It seems to go in waves though I'll cautiously say that it seems to have gotten somewhat better in recent years. I remember a time in the mid-2010s when these kinds of stories would disappear almost instantaneously. Now some of these articles and topics get a good number of upvotes and occasionally even substantive dialogue.
That said, the comments sections on these articles do tend to devolve pretty quickly.
I'm not sure what I should expect from a community that prides itself on its rationalist roots, but discussions are often disappointing nonetheless.
The problem is that "rational" is taken as the highest good by some people, and a key part of their identities.
Unfortunately these people have mammalian brains, which are a prefrontal cortex sitting on top of an antediluvian limbic system. To pretend that you are rational and not emotional is to launch vigorously down the path of self-deception.
It inevitably follows that one's post-rationalisation becomes both deep-rooted and hidden from one's own view. To roughly paraphrase tfa, you'll cherry-pick facts and apply narrow logic. Worse, you'll be bolstered by the unshakeable conviction that you are completely logical. Then you'll become extremely passionate in defense of your beliefs. The irony...
It is excellent to strive for rationality, just as long as one keeps one's own fallibility in mind. That implies self-knowledge. You can't reach the top of Maslow's pyramid without self-knowledge; we should teach techniques to cultivate it in schools.