Hmmm, I now feel we're at a "What's your price?" level of agreement (the old "Would you sleep with me for a million pounds?" joke), in that I agree 1,000+ points for forwarding an item is beyond ridiculous (and for something like that a "please drop my karma" option would be worth it ... although I'd assume 1,000 point boosts are very rare).<p>Your case of a bit over 50?  Out of proportion, very possibly (I don't pay close attention to this level of detail), but maybe not "totally".<p>Then there's the "this rewards one for other worthwhile items forwarded that got lost in the crowd" theory.  For those driven, at least in part, by a desire for more karma, this encourages them to continue to forward worthwhile things.  If it encourages them while not discouraging you from continuing to forward items....