It is an imperfect model, however there are things people, (the group), can do to offset bad behavior of a down vote out of spite. People just need to up vote it. I have voted on post that have down votes several times, I disagree with the down vote so up vote them. I have in the past helped people that were caught in the down vote cycle of hajin/bernie on steemit by providing votes to raise them back up. This is where - "We the People" - actually can and do make a difference.

Theft, unfortunately is a part of the issue also. Not long ago there was a post of about someone forgetting one letter and sent funds to the wrong address, the funds were not returned, and would never be returned. I gave their post an up vote and then proceeded to send them one hive to help offset the loss. If enough people take the time they can resolve the theft issue. Of course people will try and take advantage of people,k people are after all people.