I for one don't welcome them. I thought the comment was reasonably amusing -- a Slashdot-esque quip here and there surely does no real harm -- but even if it were deemed unfunny, is -17 really appropriate? Would not a 0 suffice?
My /. joke was written in jest. I read funny comments here now and then, but you have to admit that template jokes get old really fast, and the lack of thought involved adds a displeasing element to them.
I do agree that -17 is unnecessary though, and I don't understand why it happens.
