It seems like human nature that if you attach a number or score to something, people are going to try and get the most they can.
Which is kinda the point. Nobody wants to lose score, so they don't post horrible comments (usually) and they try to find the most interesting articles to post. That's good for everyone. But it does have the side-effect of people complaining that their karma was "stolen".
In my case I was glad someone else got it out because it was in regards to a civil rights leader being imprisoned. I used "steal" in quotes for a reason, but of course, I will admit, I am a lowly ape. When I see other ape get huge points for same action I wonder what I did wrong, even though I happy for other ape, the best simple word I can come up for it is "steal" as lowly ape brain understand and convey this easily.
Brian is much higher ape, free from these low-level ape impulses so long as he writes them out. I hope to be higher ape someday. Ape work harder to get higher thought like Brian.