It doesn't help that some of the duplicates aren't duplicates at all but some SO admin or mod hasn't read or understood the question properly and points the asker at something that's actually only vaguely related or irrelevant.

I'm pretty sure I've also heard of askers providing links to other questions that are similar to but not quite what they're interested in, explained why their question is different and yet it's one of those linked questions that ends up being identified as being identical to the asker's question.

There may also be at least one pair of questions that each point back at the other as being the original, and there's no useful information in either. (I don't know why this idea is in my head though, so maybe it was a joke I read somewhere.)

Either way, the admins and mods there do not like to be told they are wrong and will shut things down fast if it starts looking like they've made a mistake. Unfortunately for them, stories like this get out anyway.

Petty little overlords of the toxic waste dump of their own making.