I'm also an SO user with close privileges[1]. As long as we're linking profiles, I was a beta user, have been around pretty much since day 1, and am in the top 0.2% of users.

This statement is simply not true.

> If you write a good question, it won't be closed.

How about this one, with 1419 upvotes (and hey; I'm in the list too!): http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9033/hidden-features-of-c

Or this one: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/194812/list-of-freely-ava...

Or: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2245196/c-urban-myths

Or perhaps: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/81584/what-ide-to-use-for...

Or, my favorite example, this insanely interesting question with an awesome, enlightening response: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/448673/how-do-emulators-w...

That question was closed as "Off Topic." What?! The implementation of an emulator is "off topic" on a programming QA site? WTF?

I can go on. Hell, here's an aggregated list of great questions, almost all of which are closed: http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-most-interesting-Stack-Ove...

All of those questions have a massive amount of upvotes, i.e., the community thought they were interesting, well written, and, mots importantly, useful. All closed as "off-topic" or "not constructive." Give me a break.

This is the crap I'm talking about. A bunch of self-important people with nothing better to do than enforce the rules in as strict a manner as possible regardless of whether or not what they are doing is actually making the site a better place.

[1]: http://stackoverflow.com/users/1053/ed-s