"If PHP developers are made to feel terrible, they will leave and there will be less and less great developers working with PHP."

I don't quite see how this might be a problem. Does the author think those people would be less great in another environment? Does PHP own these people?

"Often times, people are just complaining about PHP because it’s a popular thing to do."

No. We do not complain about PHP because it's popular. We complain about PHP because it sucks and we are forced to use it.