Exactly. From the absolutely hysterical reaction here and on Reddit, on codinghorror, and other blogs, you have to know people are projecting absolutely enormous insecurities onto PG's piece. Makes you realize just how defensive and demoralized and miserable the corporate workers really are.

Ironically, this is precisely the kind of conclusion people are drawing from PG's essay, and its not what he was saying.

I certainly don't know that people are projecting "enormous" insecurities into Paul's piece. Nor does it make me realize "just how defensive and demoralized and miserable the corporate workers really are."

The essay does not claim that anyone who works in a corporate job is miserable. What is does say is that people would be happier if they were working for themselves (or in a small company). I don't have to be miserable to have potential to be happier.

And how they probably don't know (or dare admit) that they are. The ones that do know and have made a conscious choice to stay where they are don't need to defend themselves.