what is "dishing out of things"?

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/dish+out

Definition 3 is probably the one meant here.

It's not a usage I have seen. Localized to some region or country perhaps.

To dish out means to give, coming from the idea of serving food (he dished out the rest of the stew, but used figuratively. A common expression is "he can dish it out, but he can't take it" meaning that someone can criticize others, but cannot abide criticism of himself. In this example, the author is saying that one might in such a circumstance be willing to be less critical. I find this an odd usage, but certainly comprehensible.