As someone who has sometimes left a comment instead of an answer, it's because I too am scared that if I try to answer with an actual answer it'll just get down

As someone who has sometimes left a comment instead of an answer, it's because I too am scared that if I try to answer with an actual answer it'll just get downvoted / moderated away, so rather than "risk" a lot of karma in leaving an actual answer, I'll answer in the comments because it's less likely to recieve negative attention. It's sadly working around the negativity and toxicity of the site and the people who tend to vote / moderate there.