I actually regret the ironic badge and kinda want to take it back, and I agree with kleinbl00. It's an assholish thing to do and I wouldn't want to do it frequently. I'd rather said badges go somewhere worthwhile. That doesn't make it any less hilarious with the proper timing, though. But hilarious and "a good thing to do" aren't always on one side of the same coin. Dude brings a lot of anger out of me that he doesn't deserve to get, sure as hell doesn't deserve my badges, ya know. That being said, next time someone disagrees with me and does it in a way that I can actually work with and respond to on an intellectual and honest level, that person will be getting an un-ironic badge.
I like to give really terrible drivers thumbs-ups when I'm road-ragin'. And I shout at them, "Good job buddy!" But they can't hear me because even if my windows are down theirs are up. Usually. What 'choo gon do 'bout a thumbs-up, brah? Choo gunna fight? Also it's just really satisfactory because I do believe when most drivers are being shitty, they know they're doing a shitty job - and even if they think they're not doing a shitty job they're usually aware that other people on the road disagree. But I don't have to actively participate in a community in order to earn a thumbs-up to give away, which is why I think badges can be seen as inherently "valuable," and by giving them to shitty content a) you're potentially de-valuing badges and you're certainly altering the meaning of them, and b) the "badges" page becomes shittier browsing material. Although, potentially, funny. I actually regret the ironic badge and kinda want to take it back, and I agree with kleinbl00.