> However, it also can simultaneously be not OK for you to publish it in a package directory with a generic name and a description talking about how awesome it is as a trap for other people to run into, and that is really the core problem:
As far as I can tell this is a node-specific problem. I would argue it's a byproduct of resume-driven-development, not of open source culture. I think the onus is on npm to guard against obvious click grabbing projects (like is-odd, is-even, leftpad...), but it's also on the JS standards committee to develop a standard library that doesn't need 1 or 2 line dependencies to function the way a reasonable human would expect it to function.
> sure: it is totally their fault for deploying something without carefully reading your code to figure out that it was a bit shitty beforehand... but should they really have to do that?
Yes, you should at least read through the README and take a look at the issues before using any project. Code with 0 issues filed, no forks, and no stars...should not be used in production without proof reading. You can get a benefit of the doubt if it's clearly a popular project (i.e. apple/swift, google/flutter), because at least then you know multiple people before you have tried it out and been satisfied enough to want to help out.
> if you bring something that you know tastes bad or will make someone sick to the potluck and put a little sign on it saying "gourmet enchiladas: much better than what you get at the store" and put it in the center of the table, it is still a problem
The problem is that this is subjective. What does "tastes bad" mean? Are you expected to know what will make someone throw up? Sure, you'd be a dick for serving raw chicken - but the raw chicken projects generally don't have READMEs in the first place, because they were never intended for usage by others. It's your fault if you incorporate raw chicken into your meal and get sick from it.
The problem is that some people view a package manager as a farmer's market while others see it as a restaurant. Should you serve gourmet meals, or are berries OK too? If you sell raw chicken at a farmer's market, it should be obvious to the consumer that they have to cook the chicken first before eating it. The problem is when a customer goes to a farmer's market expecting it to be a restaurant and gets sick from something they didn't understand.