[eterm]

As someone who has sometimes left a comment instead of an answer, it's because I too am scared that if I try to answer with an actual answer it'll just get downvoted / moderated away, so rather than "risk" a lot of karma in leaving an actual answer, I'll answer in the comments because it's less likely to recieve negative attention.

It's sadly working around the negativity and toxicity of the site and the people who tend to vote / moderate there.

[josephcsible]

You get 10 reputation for each upvote but only lose 2 for each downvote your answer gets. And if it gets "moderated away", you don't lose any reputation.

[bombcar]

The correct answer is ALWAYS in a comment to the (often marked) wrong answer with the most upvotes.