This actually feeds in to why I think the article is bad. I don't think that the fire in a crowded theatre argument is an appeal to authority or rather I think there are versions of it that are and versions that aren't - but that's exactly the problem with these kinds of articles, they make arguments in a way in which they want to argue against. The likelihood is that the person who disagrees with you actually probably isn't making the argument you've constructed in a way that you can debunk.

It's far better to actually hear what someone who disagrees with you has to say than to line up what you want them to say.