“The Parable of the Flamingo”, or, “What's the point?”

Let's say that there are some people in your neighborhood who are extremely fixated on something that you find quite trivial. For example, it could be that they insist on sitting in the yard and staring at a pink flamingo they have placed there for hours on end. It doesn't really matter what they do; what matters is that you find it utterly incomprehensible. You tell all your friends about your ridiculous neighbors, and you have a good laugh about their flamingo shenanigans. Your neighbors sometimes overhear you, and get very angry.

One day, you tell them that you are thinking about stealing their favorite flamingo. They tell you that they are going to straight up flip out if you do so, because they love their flamingo deeply. Of course this only confirms what you already believe: that these neighbors are dangerously insane.

At this point, everyone else in the neighborhood sees what is going on. We know that you think the flamingo fixation is weird and stupid. We also know that your neighbors love the flamingo. We know that stealing the flamingo will make them extremely angry. The situation is all extremely clear to all parties involved.

So, why on earth would you steal the flamingo? What could you possibly think you are proving?

(Should I be so crass as to suggest that every angry or even curious visitor to your ad-ridden blog makes money for you?)