That's only because you broke the guidelines and commented to create a generic tangent.

My edit to ask about why I was being downvoted is based on curiosity - a key pillar of this site. If people have a divergent opinion strong enough to downvote, then I would like to read it to understand more. Furthermore, my comment was not about comment voting, but about identifying and understanding that opposing position.

I out, since it seems you're just trolling on a tangent instead of commenting on the pertainate topic.

I'm not trolling. I'm trying to improve discourse. Doesn't mean I'm right (as my own comment downvotes indicate) but that was my intention.

I'm trying to improve discourse by fighting against the downvote. It's my opinion it harms discourse significantly. It's low signal, and not constructive. It has an obvious chilling effect on dissent. Nothing upholds echo chambers more than the downvote.