I don't know why you find it so strange.
Thats simply because your account is newbie anyway, maybe you have a point. Lurking around here isnt about rank. But maybe countering someones post like its been answered many times. Sounded like yout been here for a longg time inspite of your rank. But thats normal, maybe you used guest account and only doing reading here berfore am I right?
You pretty much answered yourself. I have a tendency to familiarize myself with the community before I join, as I have done countless times so far.
It probably has something to do with a trait I inherited from using Usenet many years ago. Things were a lot different then than they are today...