I don't see a big difference between trading and buying votes.
A good post by a minnow who bought a vote may also not be overrewarded, there are a few examples of not too shabby, not too good, creators who are upset now because their content never had a chance to get up without bought votes, and now they are downvoted.

Both are selfish transactions which only benefit those who are involved in the deal, and the end result of both is off-putting for new users who see they can never reach something without participating in some kind of deal.

That everyone uses the derogatory term circle jerk is an unfortunate development, the whitepaper speaks much more clearly of "colluding groups".