I hear the frustration... especially around downvotes, cliques, and the feeling that some good content gets suppressed. That experience does push people away.
Where I slightly differ is the “reset + fork + confiscation” approach. I think that kind of scorched-earth move would create even more division and trust issues, and it would be hard to rally everyone behind it long-term.

But your core point is valid: if the average creator feels like they have no fair chance, growth stalls.

What I’d rather see (and what I think is more achievable) is:

• stronger social norms around downvotes (clear reasons, avoid retaliation, use muting/ignoring more often),

• more visible, transparent curation trails that support outside-the-circle creators,

• and more onboarding + consumption incentives, because without readers, even the best writers feel like they’re posting into a void.

If we fix those, whales won’t feel like “gatekeepers”... they’ll feel like “gardeners.”