Let me start off by saying, save the removal of Justin Sun, #hive has many of the same issues its predecessor had. This includes a few large stakes who basically feel that stake entitles them to act in maniacal ways. If they like you, and you bend the knee to them, their attention is like the sunshine on a warm day. If you cross them or behave in a way they do not sanction, their retaliation is swift. So on STEEM and now HIVE, that retaliation meted out in the form of downvotes. Some of us care about rewards and downvotes more than others. An individual downvote is what it is, but its indicative of how much still needs to be resolved before this platform becomes anything beyond a curiosity. Let's delve into a specific example:
1. Rules For Thee And Not For Me
They claim to have set standards, and they will be the enforcer of those standards. What are those standards? They are whatever they say they are, because they have the leverage. They control the carrots (big upvotes), and they have the sticks( big downvotes). They will tell you that downvotes are good, they should be used for over-rewarded content, but don't you dare cross their outrageous upvotes. Leading to step 2.
2. Promote Something Outrageous
The first thing they do, is they find a way to spit in your face. They tell you the sky is purple, and then they stand menacingly above you expecting your full compliance. They take a shit post, and they prop it up in front of your face. They tell you it is acceptable to receive its rewards because they say it is. They then get their acolytes to endorse their ridiculous claims for the good of everyone:
With much fanfare, they reward all those who participate in the farce. In the case of Hive, that means comment upvotes... but don't you dare deviate from their narrative.
For the record, I have nothing against @trumpman, he's a cool dude. I also love me a good shitpost
3. Punish Non-Compliance
The last thing they do is dole out the punishment for your non-compliance from official looking accounts. Their goal is to instill fear, so that you never cross them again. And above you have their message of disapproval, expressed as a downvote, doled out on a blog post that took some effort I must say. Oh well, it's still above zero. Try harder next time asshole.
The Solution
The only real solution to this centralized power base, is the continued expansion of the middle class and lower holders. I was hopeful for this on STEEM, and I am a bit more hopeful for it on Hive. We must be diligent in ensuring their success, because without them, this platform will become more and more a joke, and a playground for maniacal bullies.
If this post makes me a pariah, then so be it. I will say and do what I feel is right, and I will own the consequences of that. If you don't like that, you can GFY. I will only leave after I feel the myopathy of fools has completely robbed this place of its potential. We aren't there yet. Good day and thanks for reading.