Some time ago I answered this question. I thought I was giving a reasonable explanation of why modesty standards evolve. This was misunderstood and the following comments are getting off the track.
Is it appropriate to delete my own answer in such a case?
Who would still see it?
(I've only had time for a quick glance so far.)
If your answer is good -- it answers the question, it's not just a one-liner, it doesn't have major problems, it's been well-received, etc -- then please don't delete an answer just because of the comments it's attracted. That would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
If you see problematic comments -- rude, too chatty, whole conversations unfolding therein, tangents, etc -- please flag. Moderators can and do delete comments (quite a few; we're a chatty bunch here on Worldbuilding). But don't rely on us to notice; this is a large, active site and new comments don't alert most people.
If comments point out issues in your answer -- things that aren't clear, errors, logical problems, etc -- then you should edit the answer to account for this input. Once you've done so those comments are probably obsolete, so you can flag them as such. A meaningful edit comment will help us evaluate the obsolescence of those comments when we see the flag.
Other than clarifying your answer on that particular question, I don't think you need to delete it. The comment thread on your answer look like an threadnaught to me so I wouldn't worry about it.
