Because whales extract ~90% of rewards, every flag pays them ~90% of it's value, divided by the number of whales extracting rewards. Strictly financially speaking, they're in favor of every flag not flown on them. However, Steem has motivated them to more consider social values not specifically economic, because they are dependent on those values to an ineffable degree for their financial returns.

Goodwill is difficult to quantify, at best. However, it is enormously undervalued by almost everyone that can't just conjure money out of thin air. Those that can know goodwill is far more valuable than mere money.

Everyone else is playing catch up.