The really gross part is... to my eye, the deeper into the thread we get, the more upvotable your comments get ("kind, thoughtful, substantive", to quote the guidelines), but the lighter gray they are. Although I've downvoted none, I can kinda see downvoting the top-level comment as being snarky, but that comment is solid black. Topsy turvy.
Thank you! I have the same amount of snark now as the top comment, i.e. none that I can tell. It would be nice to have a conversation about this topic that didn't involve me being downvoted.
The Internet is often more like a bar brawl than a reasoned conversation.