Exactly. Outside of the actual merits of the feature being flamed, someone confidently presenting such an opinion without caveat is unlikely to be worth having a reasonable discussion with.
What I like about this quote is that it embodies Stroustrup’s personal attitude. He’s ultimately pragmatic. Nothing can be perfect — including C++ by his own admission. It’s aligned well with his other writings and with his commentary on the quotes page, particularly where he says that he tries not to be rude about other languages.
Try telling a C++ programmer RAII is not a good idea. I dare you. Or smart-pointers. Or that the STL is mostly-garbage..
Trying to honestly have these conversations is typically an exercise in starting a religious flame-war.