Why do so many players not buff themselves?

I only help when someone is dying. Usually, by that point, the NPC is gray and I won't interrupt them getting credit for it.

Jesus. This is how it starts. When people think other people are just too bad at MMOs to grasp the simplest parts of it. If someone doesn't have their class buff it's probably because it has slipped their mind. Perhaps they came back from a long AFK and got right back to it. Or perhaps they've been at it a while and didn't notice when it fell off. It's not the end of the world and you should probably find better things to do than find the most mundane crap to worry about.

Well said... Get a life.

Yep, most of the time if I don't have my buffs on, it's for the already stated reasons (i.e. mind on something else, didn't notice it was off, etc.). I do buff others as I pass them, but only if they're unflagged (habit from my WoW days).

Class buffs notwithstanding, most players who don't have a guild reservoir of crafters either have to make them themselves or buy them. Both can be expensive propositions without some help. We (me & those I play with) all carry extras and are ok with loaning out some of the lower level stims & adrenals. Not to be confused with free lunches, we'll hand some out after we wipe on a boss that was close enough to being down when we wiped to merit the additional oomph. I usually don't use anything but class buffs for questing or H2s. But H4s & FPs ... never leave home without 'em.

For class buffs, some came from raiding backgrounds and knew to look for those first thing. Not everyone comes from a raiding background however, which is where a kind word of wisdom and a simple reminder can go a long way in getting everyone into the program.

I usually only give myself the one buff. I am not al alt. whore at all so I probably will never benefit from all four of the class buffs to be honest. One is enough for me. If I am out strictly to do solo work (I.E., I am specifically not grouping for a reason) then I only run with basic buffs. Too many just makes things too easy to be honest. In other games (SWG, LOTRO) I used to try solo feats with bare minimum stuff, no gear, no buffs, etc., for the challenge. Usually when I'm out doing solo work in SW:TOR and someone fills my bar with buffs I'll just cancel them. If I wanted all the help then I would have either asked or grouped up.
That being said, I don't randomly throw buffs out willy nilly because I know there are other people out there like me. If someone sends me a message asking for my BH buff, sure, I'll toss it their way. Otherwise I see no need to.

Some people just aren't in a hurry to gear their characters I guess. Maybe they do not have the credits, or they're holding off for the right piece of gear. Relics, for example, I don't think drop as loot under level 50. I could be wrong. But anyways, I've seen quite a few people that don't have anything in their relic slots. I've done Flashpoints with people without Relics and they've done perfectly fine. Others just like the challenge I guess. Try doing some of the content with lesser gear then you would normally have. It makes things quite a bit harder. Some people might like this.

If it is neither of those reasons than I have no idea what-so-ever. He he.

Also are you the buff police your telling me you run around hutta probably and make sure everyone has a buff on if not you give a speech to the whole planet. Must be a fun life.

I've never said a word to anyone in this game or any other game about buffs. I was asking a question as to why so many players apparently don't buff themselves. I like how my quietly buffing other people as a kindness somehow offends you.

Why do we even have these buffs again? If everyone gets them at level one, there are no restrictions on their use, the content is clearly either unaffected or tailored for them to be there, then why do we even have them?

Why are they not just permanent buffs that are added to your stats? Why not just eliminate them altogether? It's pretty clear that these are just added in to make you "feel" more powerful, when in thruth they actually do nothing than at best put you on par with the stats the devs are expecting.

The only use for them currently is the level 50 unlock that let's you have them all. But again, at 1 buff needed per hour why not just add them to your stats without the button push.

I kinda feel the same about the "recouperate/introspection/etc.." after battle button. Why not just make it automatic out of combat? Clearly has nothing to do with skill. I think GW2 is like this and it's nice.

Make combat challenging. Make content challenging. Drop the silly, pointless out of combat button presses.