Note that I specifically said above that the OKCupid essay’s “conclusion is correct.” You’re confusing criticizing an argument form and criticizing a conclusion. Consider the following exchange:
Person A: Karl Marx was an evil person, therefore communism is wrong.
Person B: That’s an example of the ad hominem fallacy, and so an invalid argument.
Person A: How dare you say communism wasn’t wrong, you Stalinist pig!
Posting statistics about exactly how many people were killed in communist regimes does not make A’s argument valid, or B’s criticism wrong.
Note that I specifically said above that the OKCupid essay’s “conclusion is correct.” You’re confusing criticizing an argument form and criticizing a conclusion. Consider the following exchange:
Person A: Karl Marx was an evil person, therefore communism is wrong.
Person B: That’s an example of the ad hominem fallacy, and so an invalid argument.
Person A: How dare you say communism wasn’t wrong, you Stalinist pig!
Posting statistics about exactly how many people were killed in communist regimes does not make A’s argument valid, or B’s criticism wrong.