I do get the animosity towards those that appear to be merit fishing, Although, their motivation is there, their application isn't necessarily so. I think getting the pitch fork out, is probably a bad idea, since these types of users can easily adjust, and become valuable users of the forum. There's been many of times where a user has annoyed me a little at first with their posting habits, but years down the line have actually become some of the more prominent users of the forum.

So, while merit fishing should probably be pointed out, I don't think it's a death sentence for a user. They just need to change their thinking a little bit. At the end of the day, if they're posting simply to earn merit, as long as the information is useful, and isn't regurgitated, then I haven't got a problem with their motivations that led to the post, as long as it's of good quality.