I don't know if it's just my impression or what. And I don't know if it's just a coincidence. What is clear is that if you open threads (if they don't suck) it's easier to get merits. I don't know if they know it and that's why.
I think it's nice to see other people starting threads. There are lots of longtime members who start their own threads and bump them endlessly as a way to earn merit. Looking at the first 2 pages of this section alone I see 1 user has started and bumped 7 of their own threads dating back years... It isn't really a problem with just new users. So long as they see certain individuals getting handsomely rewarded for this behavior, you can't really fault them for attempting it themselves. Be careful who you promote as leaders of this community, as the Bitcoiners are becoming few and far between here.