My general sense is that there are a ton of principled people in btc, as there are in any subculture you can think of; and most of the most principled ones don't try to build brands out of themselves.

The assorted Breedlove types out there, subsisting on chicken gizzards and raw milk and with a full sleeve tattoo of thorned Christ, portraying their moralizing as the natural endgame of btc enlightenment, are demonstrating something to the world that has nothing to do with btc. If btc didn't exist you can be assured they'd be equally estimable in the fields of BMX racing or cannabis advocacy. They are walking vacuums, and you know how nature feels about that.

It's a good lesson, though, that as contemptible as some of their behavior is, it doesn't mean these types are worthless or un-capable. Breedlove has, as you point out, written some smart things. Before he turned into a full-time tool he was, in different ways, a boon to btc. Many contemptible others are in the same boat. Nobody is just one thing.

It's alarming that being smart, and understanding some important and subtle truths about the world, doesn't keep you from being a raging asshat. That is definitely a sobering thought that should give a person pause.