I find it strange that people don't think at all when they do things like this - or do they think no one will notice? Maybe no one would react if it was a 5 merits transaction, but 25 definitely attracts attention and casts a shadow on both accounts.
Funny enough I thought about this. What if he had given the merits like 5 different times on different posts to get to 25, no one would have noticed. Just that they decided not to think at all.
As for tags, I think that anything more than neutral is too much (if even that), and that it is best to follow what will happen in the future - but one thing is certain, that post does not deserve that amount of merits, although some may say that it is a matter of subjective assessment.
Yea, theymos said something about someone not being in the DT for long if they tag people for mere merit matters.