Do people always give a thumbs down to opinions they disagree with?

Question

I've noticed that lots of answers, especially in this section seem to get absolutely mauled if they take a particularly strong stance or if they go to any real effort to back up an opinion expressed.

Do people in this section (particularly feminists, but everyone to a degree) simply give the thumbs down to any answer which does not sit well with their own ideology or are there actually people here who can find valid points within opposing viewpoints and give a thumbs up even if they may not entirely agree?

Answer 1

I give TDs to people whose answers are either unbelievably insulting or unbelievably stupid. My opponents have made valid points before.

Answer 2

I give thumbs down to people who are simply hateful, ignorant, or offensive. I thumbs down people who agree with me if they're painfully illiterate. I may not thumbs up a smart response that disagrees with my own views, because a little wrong is all the way wrong in my opinion (and people who think feminists are the bane of existence are wrong),  but I don't thumbs down it either.

Answer 3

I usually give a thumbs up for an answer really I like and ignore the others.  It's got to be either terribly stupid or offencive to get a thumbs down from me.

Answer 4

I NEVER give TD's at all. There are reasons for not doing so, but I ve noticed, in general, that some people ALWAYS get TD's, no matter how true they are or how they base responses on there actual EXPERIENCES. But people have gotten used to it, so nobody actually complains too much.

Answer 5

That is the way the system works. If you get a thumbs down, it means they don't like it. A thumbs up means they like it. That is what those thumb things are for.