The thing is though, at a cocktail party the people you are talking to likely already know your profession. So if something on biology comes into conversation a

The thing is though, at a cocktail party the people you are talking to likely already know your profession. So if something on biology comes into conversation and you are a PhD biochemist, your insights likely should carry a little bit more weight. On the internet, we know significantly less about the people we are conversing with. So to me, as long as the "source: xyz" is critically related to the discussion at hand, it is worthwhile. This instance was one of those cases. On the other hand, statements beginning "as a parent..." (the requirements for being a parent vs. earning a PhD being the key difference) typically are not critically related to the discussion at hand, and in those instances are quite annoying and do beg the "air of authority" that is absolutely undeserved. I would say I see a lot more of the the later on reddit than on HN. This discussion on reddit likely would have had a different progression.