Because they were two different arguments. One argument was from the perceived SE position, and one is from my own. Whatever SE thinks about parsers doesn't change the fact that I agree they're useful. You're spending an awfully long time fighting with someone who wants them in the game too (provided people don't abuse them). In fact, if SE really doesn't hold the fear that jerks will use it to be jerkier, that's better for me.
Not surprisingly, this has already been covered ad nauseam.So, given that almost anything put in the game can be abused, should they stop adding things?
Nobody won victories for being able to carry a gun by saying "Well, I could just stab someone with my pen, so what are you going to do, ban pens?" Nobody won victories for drug legalization by saying "Well, I could just overdose on Tylenol, what are you going to do, ban Tylenol?" So why do people think that they'll win victories for parsers by saying "Well, I could just harass someone for wearing purple clothes, are you going to ban purple dyes?"Depends on the person.Also does the parser actually create jerks? Or are the people already jerks, abusing something in game.
Most people call them "internet browsers".If you can write a program that actually changes people into jerks from nice people, that is a powerful program.