I enjoyed your post and laughed out loud at some of your descriptions. I don't feel your pain quite yet because I'm still new to the site. I do wonder, however, if your observation (lament?) that so many comments are fake isn't a function of how SteemIt works.

Let's face it, rewarding commentary sort of opens the floodgates to all manner of nonsense. This was one of the reasons I considered not getting involved in this social network.

Like you, I prefer engaging in an exchange only with people who have something genuine to contribute to the conversation: an example, a counter-example, a different perspective, a related funny story, whatever.

That does make the upvote--in the right hands--a pretty powerful tool. I intend to be rather judicious (read: stingy) with mine. 👍