I think it has to do with the drive of needing both the "right" answer and also the "easy" answer. People like us don't derive any pleasure from conclusions such as this, because as we know, history does not particularly enjoy "right" or "easy". That's why we tend to get bogged down into the details, because there's so much nuance in basic historical issues.

I know for myself, I always find myself browsing through obscure historical facts for all hours of the day, because some of them may be relevant to stuff i might be asked. And constantly struggle with my knowledge, because i don't have all of the pieces to a puzzle, i don't feel qualified to respond. I think this is another reason why i have no debate bro tendencies, because i hate walking into situations that i'm not prepared for.