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Consider this question. I was the first one to vote for closure, since it was (and still is) too broad and argumentative. However, I did not see fit to downvote it, because it's not a stupid or badly-intentioned question, just not a very good one.

However, 3 other people did downvote it and I'd like to know why. To me it seems that if a question is not ridiculous and asked in good faith, then it is bad form to downvote it as an accompaniment to closure. It feels a bit unfair and may look off-putting to new users.

What do you think?

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Well, in my case, I voted to close it based on the original version, which was phrased like one of those big open-ended humanaties essay questions.

After the edits were made, it was turned into an exercise in logic based on a bunch of arguable assertions that we are asked to take as truth regardless of their merits. That's a cheap debating trick which I absolutely loathe to have used on me. So I downvoted it.

I put in comments for both decisions, although I tried to phrase them both a lot more gently than I did here. If he fixes either or both issues, I'm willing to change the either or both votes.

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  • @NationWidePants - Young T.E.D. (this is nearly a decade old now) in fact left 2 comments. One on the question itself, and one on the later edits to it. Also, we generally request that comments address behaviors or content, not people. People problems are to be brought up with moderators, not slapped out in nasty comments. If you think its a trend, not just one person, instead consider making a meta post to discuss the issue.
    – T.E.D. Mod
    Commented Apr 7, 2021 at 12:49
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I didn't weigh in one way or the other, but I can see an argument in either direction. The question as it stands right now, even after what appears to be at least two edits, does not really fit into our guidelines. It could stir up more discussion and debate than answers, for one thing, which merits closing. Another major issue is that the OP seems to be providing his own opinion and speculation along with the question. This strikes me as an attempt to influence the answer, and that in itself would be justification for a downvote in my book.

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  • I agree with you about his second edit. But the first one was, I think, an improvement - and that's when the downvotes kicked in.
    – Felix Goldberg
    Commented Jan 10, 2013 at 14:32
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    It looks like the first one is where he introduced the personal opinion, and I believe that in itself led to the downvotes. He should have tried to improve the question without adding the filler.
    – Steven Drennon Mod
    Commented Jan 10, 2013 at 15:06
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    As one of the three downvoters in question, I can assert that Steve's comment is somewhere from 33% to 100% correct. :-)
    – T.E.D. Mod
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 16:56

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