Removing complexity where you can is a good thing. Being able to recognize when you don't need a complex system is a skill. Many devs fall into the "One tool for every problem" trap by defaulting to the same boilerplate project for everything (eg create-React-app or Next.JS) and end up making something complex when a much simpler system would have worked better.
If you have a basic project the tools should be basic.
Your tools should be as complex as they need to be. For most apps, that is a lot simpler than the developer has made them.
The inverse isn't true because as soon as you actually need complexity your basic tools stop working. The "smug superiority" of the original post here is an admission that the author didn't need complex tools. The fact they recongized that, even if it was for the wrong reason if you're right about the smugness, is a good thing for their users.
So now that you've said React is indeed useful for complex projects, what relevance does the original post have here? It does nothing except clog up the comments with people tooting their own horns about how amazing they are for not using it.
If you have a basic project the tools should be basic.