All The Tropes:About Rhetorical Questions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

What if this had a Laconic page?

Using a rhetorical question to make a point in an environment where anyone can edit, like, say, a wiki? This is a blunder! Rhetorical questions are a perfectly valid way to make a point, but that question mark at the end is just completely irresistible for some people. They have to edit in an answer.

The article then degenerates into Natter.

Maybe people should refrain from answering rhetorical questions. The fact is, though, that they don't refrain. The good thing here is that there is an easy fix. Don't get the whole thing started by using a rhetorical question unless you immediately answer it yourself.