I posted an unpopular opinion there and people just downvoted it and got mad, lol.

Basically I said that complaining about a paywalled article in comments is annoying and contributes nothing, especially if it's from an independent long form writer. If someone links to paid media and you don't want to pay, the post isn't for you. Just go away. (Or participate in the comments anyway, people don't read the articles most of the time regardless.)

Some people said "nooo if you make a post and I can't see the content without paying you're being a meanie because I can't participate"

Not every post is for everyone.