I agree this little detour is pretty wasteful, but while we're on it, I might as well clarify. The silencing comes by way of a disincentive to post your opinion

I agree this little detour is pretty wasteful, but while we're on it, I might as well clarify. The silencing comes by way of a disincentive to post your opinion, at least until it's clear that no one's going to downmod you for it. How powerful that disincentive is hinges mostly on how much you care for your karma. Even if you don't care at all, it's an expression that the community's not really welcoming you/your opinions. Ultimately, I think it leads down the path of group think, but maybe that's too dramatic as well. Anyway, I'm more than done here. My apologies for the derailing.