As long has the big accounts work together (and it's blatant that they do collude to quite a massive degree), it makes no difference how the smaller accounts act - or react.

I agree with that, and that was the main reason why I stopped blogging here (amongst a few other personal ones).

I think there is a way to circumvent this type of "tyranny", but it does still require the support of a whale/other whales to be able to implement it, because it will require raw hive power, to begin the process of transition.

Communities need to become independent and self-sufficient with their own separate echo-systems, while still being able to access the hive blockchain technology base layer. Each decentralised community will then be able to self-regulate and interact on a mutual voluntary basis, without outside forces having he ability to interfere/influence/manipulate them, with their oversized stake.

I think you will find that there may be something on the way soon, that will be a starting point for this to happen.