To not understand quoting the OP?

[Pfpppl]

Can someone please explain to me why people responding to a thread feel the need to quote the whole of the original post? I can understand quoting someone else who has replied, or quoting the OP if they have made a follow up comment on their own thread, but I often see someone several pages in to the comments quoting the original post and I just don't get it?

YABU - there is an obvious reason for doing this

YANBU - it's pointless

No idea

I think it makes sense when a thread has moved on and got so derailed that the poster wants to be like...back to the original point

I like what you did there.

Probably because there are so many posts in between that may have gone off track from the original post that they do so (a) to ensure the OP is notified if they don't realise they can @Pfpppl or (b) so that their answer answers the original post rather than the previous posters

So much more articulate and succinct than me trying to explain the same thing !

It is pointless and annoying but apparently there's a reason for it - there's a long -tunning thread about it in Site Stuff. Apparently if you are using the app you can't refer back to the OP during composition of your reply unless you quote it, so the responders quote it so that they can make sure their reply responds to all the points/aspects of the situation.

The best solution suggested was for MNHQ to have any quotation of the OP set automatically to "hidden" like older posts in a chain of quote history are

It's totally infuriating when posters do this right at the beginning of the thread when it's totally obvious what it is they are replying to.
I think it gets more complicated then the OP does updates and I think then it's more acceptable if a poster is specifically replying to the original post to quote it.

It annoys me when an OP does updates and posters don't bother to read them. I was reading a thread yesterday where after her initial post the OP was getting a hard time but in her updates took on board the legitimate criticism and actually did a really thoughtful post as to her future course of action given how her view point had clarified and changed. But a lot of posters late to the thread gave comments which indicated they hadn't bothered even reading her updates or taken on board her new thoughts. These posters didn't quote back the original post and in those cases it would have been helpful if they had just to make it clear what they were basing their criticism on.

All of the above, and perhaps they want to see the OP as they type a reply.
Maybe also hitting Quote instead of Reply by mistake.

Oh lordy, another post asking this question...
Perhaps it's because it helps the responder address certain points, particularly if the OP is long and windy.
Or, if there are many pages and the later threads have gone slightly at a tangent, the PP can bring back in the OP point
And because we can

It's never justifiable.

If you want to bring the conversation back to the original OP, just start your reply with "Going back to the original post ...".

There's no need to quote it all and the people who do it habitually are just irritating tbh.

Don't get it either. Presumably people read the original post then scroll through the answers (and I often don't bother if there's already 100 plus replies because what could I possibly add to that)? Do people think the reader 'forgets' what the post is about that they just read a few minutes ago? Surely one just goes back to the top if they need reminding.