Why do completely factual answers get thumbs down?

I think some people give thumbs down just because the answerer's theological viewpoint differs from their own.

The thumbs down should no more require an explanation then the thumbs up. I try to give factual and correct answers also and hope that what I have said has helped the person who asked the question. Weather the others who are reading and writing answers out there liked what I had to say doesn't really matter to me. This isn't something to obsess over.

Maybe they have some idea that the asker will choose the answer with the most thumbs up so wanted to take out the competition?... I really don't know, and don't get it.

I'd recommend just pretending that people on YA just really suck at clicking and meant to click the thumb up.

edit: Upon further review, I'd like to second 10 Cane's answer... People sometimes thumb down answers because scrolling over it annoyed them.

Some people just don't like that whole learning thing. You get that in religion and politics a lot where actual facts are just a bad thing for some apparently. Some people are either brainwashed or just force themselves to never intellectually challenge the fictions that they believe, because their ego just can never be wrong or that's what their brainwasher tells them is true so anyone who thinks differently than them will just get an automatic knee-jerk "no" or "not true". It's just how they've been mindlessly programmed as a sheeple by whatever church or propaganda they consume.

-Individualist Anarchist Agnostic

I thumbs down an answer if it looks like whole pages were copied and pasted. You could just provide a link and accomplish the same thing. Not saying this was the reason in your case though.

Its because it scares them and they cant do anything but press the little thumbs down button. Its there personal success, although it doesnt acheive anything. I usually only read the thumbs down answers anyway mate, cuz yanks hate the truth, and the thumbs down ones are usually the closest to it.

If there is facts in this section it is likely to get thumbs down. There are some people on here that facts seem to drive them nuts, can't handle it and thumbs down things that are correct. That has been my experience anyways.

I don't know...it's dumb. I hate it when the question asks for your your opinion such as what your favorite baby name is and you get a thumbs down. Of course, my answer will be different than someone else's. I think people must just thumbs down people for the heck of it.

a) Sometimes I think there are R&S friends who hunt us down by name just for the thumb down.

b) Once in a great while -- not often at all -- I hit the thumb down when I was aiming for the up. Dang.

You have to consider the source of the t/d. Some idiots actually think they can annoy people with a mouseclick. How silly of them. Schadenfreude is sooo 2005-ish.