there is a case for a rational attachment to karma: it entitles us to say stupid things in the future.
And that’s really the point, isn’t it? It’s a quantified measurement of how much benefit of the doubt to give the karma holder. If someone posts something which seems stupid, and they have 0 karma, that increases my confidence that it really is stupid. If someone posts something which seems stupid, and they have 5000 karma, that shifts my confidence towards “I must be missing something.”
And that’s really the point, isn’t it? It’s a quantified measurement of how much benefit of the doubt to give the karma holder. If someone posts something which seems stupid, and they have 0 karma, that increases my confidence that it really is stupid. If someone posts something which seems stupid, and they have 5000 karma, that shifts my confidence towards “I must be missing something.”