>>First, this explicit code is likely wrong, and in fact Linus adds that “maybe you need to add a cast”.

When you write explicit code you know what types the a and be are in the context.

You don't write generic code but explicit specific code for that context. In some contexts you will need a cast and in some others you won't (hence "maybe").

The rest of the article reads like a parody. Instead of a clear, explicit one-liner the author arrives at a multiline function which still doesn't solve the main issue Linus pointed out (that you don't know which argument is high and which is low when you read the code and encounter that function).