No, this was always the case. I never bothered asking any particularly advanced questions, because even the vaguely-advanced questions I asked met with tumblewe

No, this was always the case. I never bothered asking any particularly advanced questions, because even the vaguely-advanced questions I asked met with tumbleweed and whistling wind. But realistically, what else should one expect? The cost/benefit ratio just isn't worth it for the person writing the answer. It won't garner you enough points to be worth the time creating an answer that most readers won't even have the skills or knowledge to assess one way or the other. Far better to throw in your 2p by answering an everyday question with a workaday opinion that's shared by thousands of others. Don't frighten the horses, and wait for the waves of groupthink to buoy your score ;) (I used to read and answer a fair number of questions in the C++ section, and after a while a definite party line became apparent, presumably due to the same incentives.)