When comes to people's choices in entertainment l agree there is no 'dumb'. People are moved by whatever touches them in some way. When it comes to questions like gun control, racism, or whether Trump is qualified to be President there certainly is 'dumb. To respect stupid is to encourage more of the same.
Did you read the article? I think it's less "respecting dumb," and more realizing that we are all people, and all in different parts of our journeys, and many of us just don't have the experience that others do. Our perspectives are different. It doesn't mean that I am "dumb" for being a liberal or someone else is "dumb" for being a conservative, it just means that we see things differently.
Being a dick to someone not "on your side" is not going to help bring them see your point of view. We have to be willing to have conversations.