Why do people thumb down people who give an honest answer to a question...?

Thank you for asking this question as I am of similar opinion.

I write my answers here with courtesy and respect. I do not arrogantly believe I am always "right" but I do base my answers on wisdom accrued through life and degrees in Psychology, Theology and Narrative Psychotherapy.

I accept other will always have their own opinions and ideas but "thumbs down" appears to be a "knee jerk" response to anyone who has a differing intellectual construct and spiritual framework.

Thanks for highlighting this.

Drives me crazy when people do that. If the question is based on someone's opinion, or personal experience, there should be no reason for a thumbs-down. I also answer in the US Income Tax category, and I use thumbs-down for answers that are WRONG - in the hopes that the asker doesn't follow bad advice. In this section, I will only give a thumbs-down to someone who has an excessively, and unnecessarily long answer (so I don't have to keep scrolling past it), or someone who is being mean or vile. Honest answers should be appreciated, and, in R&S held as sacred as that person holds their own belief.

People are just angry and hate anyone who disagrees with them. Just be glad they have no real power. Last week I was telling my wife how I imagine people would burn other's at the stake if there was no government and police. I based that on how people act in the work place and how they find a new person to sacrifice because their person internal issues.

Go figure, I answered the question "What is a typical Christmas dinner in your family" and I got a thumbs down.

What's more annoying is people giving thumbs up to thoughtless unimaginative answers. Someone could answer your question with "God=Cheese Cake" and get 20 thumbs up. Or someone could answer with an honest educated answer and get tons of thumbs downs. I guess some people like to vote instead of think.

edit: see my point?

Probably for the same reason some people devote their lives to writing computer viruses to crash other people's computers, or key nice cars in the parking lot, or spray paint other people's property.

Because Yahoo Answers isn't about finding truth, it is about having your own views validated. It's kind of like being in a popularity contest in school.

I agree with you. normally people are not looking for an honest answer but only one that coincides with what they already believe to be the truth.

everyone has different opinions. THe dumbs down represent an idea or opinion you disagree with.

then there's the thought: how do we know if their answers are honest?

I'll probably get a thumb's down for that answer...wait for it....

It's the holy spirit of Y!A at work and He works in mysterious ways....