The original question is:

Why are some questions and answers on Quora self-defeating?

The following list is of types of questions and answers on Quora that I've found to be irritating or meaningless, and therefore self-defeating. I hope my list itself isn't irritating or meaningless, but is useful in causing questioners and answerers to think before posting.

Answer:

I think the people asking these questions are truly seeking answers, but they appear to be oblivious of how their questions will appear to others. If they would wait a bit, think about it, and re-read the question before posting, perhaps the oddness or inappropriateness would occur to them, and they would rewrite them in a more answerable form.