@smooth has been here from the beginning I think, and has been consistent in his preferences iirc. People like this have made Hive what it is, both it's promise and it's failure to achieve it, and that's the truth.

Something I have attained as a result of the value of my writing being adjusted here by @smooth and others is the realization that I do not write for financial rewards, and such attention is far more valuable to me than money.

A man is justified by his foes. The truth is proven by them lying to disprove it. Advocates for vaccine safety know this as well as anyone.

I have grown to appreciate criticism far more than tokens, and it is the lack of forthright criticism accompanying the flags flown on my blog that dismays me most. YMMV, but Hive's true value isn't it's token. It's the community and the conversations we undertake.

Too often flags fly and those conversations don't ensue, or far too little exposition of the matters at issue is undertaken. This aspect of flagging in no way diminishes @thoughts-in-time 's points. It's another aspect of the market, but actually of more value IMHO.

The market for the truth is not valued in dollars, nor Hive. Like mothers, the truth has far more value than money.

Not many I know are able to grasp the value of criticism in this way, and certainly few are happy to be flagged here on Hive, but for folks that post for reasons other than money, the value of dissent cannot be overstated.

I make money with a hammer. I tell the truth as I see it with a keyboard.

To me, them dispelling my misunderstandings do me a great service. Sadly, too few bother when they can just fly a flag and move on.

Thanks for posting for the right reasons. The real rewards for doing that are more valuable than all the Hive tokens in the world.