Yes, sure, when you give it names like that it sounds negative.
To me, it's an expression of opinion. Don't know how you feel about those ;)
It becomes a flag war when those who can't stand others expressing their opinions use it as a weapon, strictly personal and no matter the content they use it on, and even attacking others by association (resteems for example).

A tip jar system where you can tip yourself without consequences from a limited shared tip pool doesn't give talented authors an edge, so that's an idea which has nothing to do with the idea behind steem. If you want to tip someone, pay it from your own pocket, not from the community's.