Why was it a waste? More data is good. If your only goal was to definitively "win" an argument and end all discussion immediately, then maybe it was a waste in

Why was it a waste? More data is good. If your only goal was to definitively "win" an argument and end all discussion immediately, then maybe it was a waste in your opinion, but otherwise it wasn't. The citation brought more nuance into the argument, and raised more questions.