I think that's just a factor of the open nature of HN meaning there's always someone ready with a hot take, and plenty of social incentive to provide one. None of us is as dumb as all of us.

Well there is a connection. Often I read news articles about science where I think "Wait, that doesn’t make sense." or "Hey, this assumption is not explained at all!" and without the original paper to read (or the knowledge to understand it) the only place to take this confusion is the comments section, with the hope that someone might explain it.