I think the vanity posts are people expressing their anxiety. A Supreme from the good side is dead. The presidential race is just nasty. The world seems poised for a potential nuclear conflict in Syria. Cops are getting killed because Obama, Hillary and Sanders say things that encourage killing cops. Prices are going up. Job security is nonexistent. I could go on. The vanity posts allow people to talk to those of like mind with little risk. It is cheap therapy in an increasingly dangerous world.
Generally I would agree with you on that, but therapy is supposed to help. These merely escalate the tension.
Maybe we should return to the rules of labeling vanity posts, vanity posts.
If we could exclude vanities with an op out, that would be OK.