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I'm not suggesting to apply this on main sites (-3 score), as wrong answers or with bad advice/bad code (etc) are beneficial being less visible (greyed out).

However, Metas are different beasts to their main sites, and there's some leniency towards Meta answers.

Meta Answers:

  • Don't need to strictly answer the question
  • Are often discussion points, adding alternative or additional suggestions or ideas
  • Are often not "right or wrong", they're opinions, and votes on them are just X people agree or disagree

So on Meta sites (maybe not all of them), the answers with a negative score being greyed is not necessarily a good thing, as they're still potentially viable discussion points, showing what people think.

Example:
https://meta.stackoverflow.com/a/288232/2632129

I'm happy to leave it as the question is about usage of a specific tag, and the downvotes show a general consensus that people disagree with a certain side of the argument. However, it's almost pointless me doing so when it's barely visible.

We can see it's (currently) -8 and most people "disagree", and it's at the bottom of all other answers.

An example showing we're losing visibility on a good discussion point:
Can you bring the color back to meta?

While that answer has a -38 score it also has +44 votes - on Meta specifically I don't think it's logical/useful having that answer less visible.

There may be some Meta sites where this wouldn't be preferred - but on MSO and MSE (at least) I think it would be worthwhile.

Do you think it would be welcomed to not grey out -8 negatively voted answers on at least some Meta sites, to allow them to be seen as part of the discussions?

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1 Answer 1

Reset to default
9
+100

Edit: This has now been implemented. (h/t Arjan)

The Stack Exchange Unofficial Patch (SOUP) user script restores the regular font color on mouse-over. So it's grayed out by default but if you're having trouble reading it, you can move your mouse cursor anywhere within the post area and it'll change.

SOUP does lots of other things too; check out the linked post for a list.

(I'm not the author, just a happy customer.)

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    That might be a useful in some aspects, but the main point of my feature-request is that having them greyed out in the first place detracts them from being part of the overall discussion. We're telling people (effectively) to ignore them, and in Meta that isn't usually a good idea (as per my examples)
    – James
    Commented Mar 27, 2015 at 19:19
  • Monica, I've given you the full bounty. While your answer doesn't really resolve the exact issue I outlined in my question, as I requested this to be implemented as part of Stack systems and not many people will use or even know about SOUP, I hate to see rep go to waste. And it is a useful answer :) Cheers
    – James
    Commented Apr 3, 2015 at 16:45
  • Thanks @James! I'm sorry I don't have the ability to give you the solution you're really looking for, but it's a step along the way in the meantime. And having had bounties expire with no answer available to award it to, I know what you mean about hating to waste rep. :-)
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Apr 3, 2015 at 16:46
  • As said, your answer was useful, so even if not the exact solution, in the absence of another answer yours is worth the bounty :)
    – James
    Commented Apr 3, 2015 at 17:03
  • Nowadays this is also implemented on the sites directly, without the need for SOUP.
    – Arjan
    Commented Aug 17, 2015 at 8:37
  • @Arjan thanks for the reminder! (I'd noticed that but had forgotten all about this answer. Will edit.)
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Aug 17, 2015 at 13:13

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