For those unfamiliar, mbcook's comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20187663) captures it:

Ken White’s rule of goats:

  “The Rule of Goats applies. Slightly paraphrased — for this family newspaper — the rule states: If you kiss a goat, even if you say you're doing it ironically, you're still a goat-kisser.”

  You don’t get off scott-free just because you say “I was only being ironic“.