I agree on the merit thing. Anything Proof of Stake in any sense is an absurd approach IMHO. Yes, you are absolutely right the ones who do not self-upvote are at a disadvantage. The feature needs to be removed entirely for any hope of salvation. No one should be able to stroke their own ego thusly.
RE: I did it! I bought my first steem and powered up... Is it wrong to upvote my own content?