HN used to show vote count. In the past, you'd see something like your GP having a vote count of 14, and your parent (the correction) having a vote count of 53. It was super useful and helped to combat misinformation.
I undersand the reasons to do it, also, but I think you clearly elucidate what was lost... (T_T)
Post that there's no verifiable empirical evidence for aliens in a thread about Navy pilots spinning tall tales and you'll get a lower post score than the people saying that Navy pilots are unimpeachable founts of truth who would never lie, much less get confused. All this reflects is the fact that people who want to believe are more likely to be drawn to a thread about aliens, and people who are skeptical of it tend to ignore those threads or actively stay away because they're afraid of what might happen to their worthless internet point score.