How do you have so many reputation points?

[Fireball]

Mostly people stroking each other off. Welcome to the echo-chamber. Though, I will say, sometimes people give rep points for legitimately good reasons.

I tend to give them to newer members who make interesting threads or give them to longtime members who make good, rational points time and time again. I'd like to think those are good reasons to give rep points. But then again, it's worth asking, what's the function of someone having a reputation score? Answering that might tell us more about why someone should, ideally, get rep points.

If they're stroking each other off, better make it good, what with only having one stroke!