I have seen many threads on merit. Some posted on a wrong section and members posting right there even when they know it is on a wrong section either to make up their post count.

Merit has become a distraction to members and I'm sure to the mods too (if they would admit) because they would have had so much merit issues to deal with, from merit collaborators and related issues. Members now put up threads on merit issues, how to be merited and that... rather than throwing up bitcoin and related discussions.

Prior to the merit system, the automatic activities system upgrade never gave the forum this kind of infiltration threads on activities across the sections . And, even when they are, they were mostly on the meta section.

I think the reason for seeing such merit threads is because, it is manually given. If it were automatically merited,  the infiltration of threads won't be here with us.