Originally Posted by
Globaliser
They are not "universally of negative value". If I may be permitted to refer to my own signature as a readily-accessible example, there's a reason why those two links are in there.
If you disagree and you're irritated by them, then switch them off. Don't impose your personal views on the entire community; you do not speak for every FTer.
"Something is not useful unless it is useful to me" is the corollary to the more commonly encountered FT attitude of "Something is not a problem unless it is my problem."