The appropriate response is to immediately start thinking why you need to figure out a response to any low-quality joke people make. Maybe, just maybe, there is absolutely no need to make any response whatever. Think about it.

I think if people would stop pretending to be offended by ridiculous things, the problem would solve itself and we wouldn't need to have a "response" in the first place.

Nothing because it's quite obviously a joke.

How about public shaming instead of the destruction of a career?

That's the idea. Any developer or researcher who uses obscure or meaningless names like "P" and "V" needs to be publicly shamed for it, no matter how well-respected they are. Clarity is vital in this business.

Or were you talking about Linus?

They're one and the same in this witch-hunt culture.