Subscript Rant

What's with the damn _{subscript tags}?! It seems that every second deviation has the description in tiny font. It irks me.

I can read the text (eyesight is OK), zoom the page in Opera, and so on. Yet that doesn't answer the main question - why, oh why does everybody use subscript?

_{la la la laa la la la laa la la laa la la la la la la la laa la la la laa la la la laa la la la laa la la la laa la la la laa la la la laa la la la laa la  la laa laa la la laa la la la laa la la la laa}