Forum suggestion: Bring back the downvotes

El Satanno

Let's face it, there's a lot of garbage posting around here. And I'm not just talking about the constant whining, or the tired non-arguments, or the entitlement, or the content-free rambling... Okay, actually that covers a lot of it, but whatever.

I recently earned myself another warning for what was apparently considered an attack/flame on another user. My feelings on the situation aside, had I an easier option to let my opinion be expressed I could have avoided rousing the ire of the Powers That Be and some delicate flower petal here would be a little less butthurt...maybe not a lot, but a little. How many times have you seen a post, rolled your eyes, and moved on feeling somewhat unsatisfied that the obvious and appropriate response of "this post is bad and you are constantly making bad posts and should stop it forever" will be met with warnings/bans? Because there are a lot of them, aren't there? I've got my little black list of people I wish would go away. You surely do, too. Maybe I'm on it.

Why not give us the privilege to police ourselves once more? Let us bury the anti-content that continues to muddy the dwindling reservoir of edifying discussion in this place. Let us quietly but firmly acknowledge the insipid and put them where they belong: Unseen and unheard. I know one reason downvotes were removed was to avoid vote brigading, however it seems to me that that risk is a small price to pay if the deluge of **** posts could be stemmed.

(Yes, I'm grumpy.)