That's not necessarily what he's saying. If React was a paradigm shift (and I believe it was), Backbone can still be good and it's possible it improved in the interim. But it doesn't change that for many of us it's just not interesting anymore.

What surprises me is that you're so uppity about 'defending' Backbone. Nobody is saying it's shit and anyone using it is an idiot. It's just that many of us prefer what came after. It warrants, at most, a discussion as to why this is the case, but I don't see how it's worth any kind of argument.