Bitcoin enthusiasts who have valid questions or concerns and begin meaningful discussions are often showered with merits. I think that's nice to see. People wrongly think merits are only given to those who solve problems, but bringing attention to certain issues can be equally merit-worthy.
I think its a good idea to actually encourage new users to think about their questions, and actually put an effort into them. They are usually the ones to get showered in merits as you put it. I think we are losing that stigma though, that you need to be solving problems or teaching something here on the forum to be successful in terms of earning merits, and I think most users are now beginning to realise that effort is king, and as long as you put in the effort you'll get somewhere.