Good question, Al
There are always certain junctures in the market that are more critical/ sensitive than others to a significant move. I don`t think that just being limit down at a random point in time at a random location on the charts justifies protecting.. but at the "meaningful" juncture in the context of the game has 10x the impact.
A fair metaphor would be an American style football game.. Where Team A receives 12 flags/ penalties against .. Team B receives 7 Flags/ penalties against... It appears Team B had the benefit of the calls & were favored by the stripes/ refs but that 1 critical call or missed call against Team B changes the entire complexion/ momentum & outcome of the game because of where & when it occurred during the context of the game... It`s the one that actually changed the game & mattered most!
Secondly, I think that we all can acknowledge that there are Gov`t forces in the markets to prevent free fall panic situations, as George Stephanopolous exposed in the late `90`s, something that most of us that watched their screens all day, already knew... In order to prevent situations like `29, `87 `98, etc... That`s another discussion for another time.