Well, I would say that if ESR recognises himself as a hacker, and makes this statement about hackers, then yes, he has this contempt he speaks of. Or had when he was writing/editing that, anyway. Since it's another in a long list of projects he's picked up, claimed 99% of the credit for, and then more or less discarded, it's hard to say if he still stands by it.

(I have a certain dislike for the guy as he presents himself, which may or may not be deserved, although from your two data points perhaps it is deserved. However, I also recognise the fact that I share some fairly noticeable traits with him, much to my chagrin.)