I know very well that dang is a moderator. I had expected that a moderator would actually consider the site's own guidelines when someone displays what they describe in their own words as "regular aggression with sarcasm"+.
My comment was posted before mikeash described his comment that way, so unless you think we should be mind-readers, that's a hindsight fallacy. I never dreamt he was being sarcastic. In fact I still can't read his comment that way—to me it remains a striking expression of the right values of this site.
If I squint, I guess I can see that use of the word "civilized" as a bit aggressive, but really I think Mike was being hyperbolic for effect in his later description.
+ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10973857