Don't you feel "thumbs up" are better than "best answer"? "Best answer" is just the asker choosing you........

no, best answer is better. The asker is asking a specific question and wants a specific answer, whether it be funny, serious, insightful, etc. If they want to justify their own feelings they may choose someone who agreed with them, but they may also find someone who disagreed or showed a new way of looking at the problem, and may instead choose that answer. whatever the justification, the best answer chosen is always the one that most helped the asker with their question/problem. I think that is a good thing!