First, read the blog post more carefully. Then read the book Hackers, by Steven Levy. Common Lisp was designed by amazing hackers for amazing hackers. Joe was making a comparison with languages like Java, which has some nice characteristics, but whose designers have repeatedly stated that their goal was pragmatic utility for working developers rather than extreme language power. I'd rather use a language that gives me extreme power, and take the risks.

This is the Nordic self-effacement which is so ingrained in American culture due to the high number of German and Scandinavian immigrants of the past. Let's just say that not everyone thinks highly of it.