I disagree with the whole premise that it's a "bad act" to downvote/flag. If you are standing by and watching a woman get beat.... don't you deserve to be beaten yourself for it? When you could have helped the woman, but didn't? In my personal opinion, indifference is just as bad as abuse. You have been given a personal ability to choose to combat/counter rewards where you see fit, and you just sit on your ass with it. Obviously it's not a requirement to do so, just like it isn't a requirement to help the woman who's being beat. The question is, are you really as self-righteous as you make yourself out to be, because you don't flag people? Also, do you have such little faith/wavering faith, that you actually believe flags will drive people away? I politely disagree with that narrative as well. I got flagged almost instantly after I joined. **I reached out to the community here. I got help. People cared. Actually, Hive account@berniesanders, of all people, was the one to help assist me when I was flagged for no reason other than someone was having a bad day and decided to flag anyone who interacted with bernie.

I think the real issue is that people complain too fucking much about what other people do with their stake. If you don't like it, there's a door, but this is ultimately what we sign up for the moment we create an account and whether the flags have been free or not, they've always been around and people have always seemingly used them in nonsensical and malicious ways.

What are you even basing your accusation on anyways Hive account@crypto.piotr? How do you even know people are leaving steem in any measurable amount? Account activity? Because I'm sure a LOT of that is down now that bots have been countered more successfully than ever before. If that's what you're basing it on, then you're extremely misguided. I, myself, joined this place within the last 230~ days. Considering it's been around much longer than I'd ever realized, I am "new" here and there continue to be new, real users. The bots dying off is why there is so much less activity, it's not because people are "leaving" this place. I find it funny how everyone who "leaves" seems to come back inevitably. As much as people run their mouths about how terrible this place is, they seem to stick around like glue. Smh.