It does seem like the atmosphere has changed over the years. I attribute it to (a) the general attitude of the public and (b) trolls. The current administration has had a destructive effect across the board in the U.S.
It’s done in the spirit of silliness and good-natured kinship. They quote old posts to each other in the same vein as we did secret codes and passwords as kids. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen an opus for a couple of years.