Do Steemit Whales Keep A "Blacklist?"

Hey Steemit world! I like to keep updated on some of the insights to the community. So yesterday, I found a Google hangout with Tai Zen @cryptomarket, Adam Meister @bitcoinmeister, and Omar Bham @crypt0. It was a very interesting discussion regarding the pros and cons of steemit, the platform. They touched on various points like the value of steem. Steem power. Is it legit? Is steemit a scam, or not? Content value for the future of the platform. Plagarizing? Do the "whales" on steemit just upvote to commercialize steemit? (Is it one big infomercial?) Steemit is growing at a rate of about a thousand people a day. But, Is that number being manipulated behind the scenes? (by bots...etc) & many, many, more interesting questions being tossed around. (It's about an hour long video, so I won't touch on every single one: Just a broad overview)

So one of the things that got my attention was when Omar had mentioned that he had a successful post. He mentioned (about the 10 min 40 sec mark) that he was "disinterested" In Steemit because of what gets upvoted, by the whales. Not sure if that Is because of bots specifically made for the platform. Or maybe stand-ins for upvoting. I really don't know. So that made me think. If you notice, some of the post get upvoted by the same group of whales. Omar also mentioned that he started "powered down" and almost immediately the amount of money that he made started to diminish. He thinks that the whales "caught on" to that fact, and didn't support the rest of his post. (Around the 47:20 mark) It seemed like he was "Blacklisted" on the site. Whether that's the case, or it was solely based on content, I cannot speak for the whales actions. So that sparked a question in my mind: Do the Whales have a "Blacklist" on certain people that post on steemit? After the posters power down, do the Whales lose attention, while "powering down" themselves? Are they "only" targeting anything that promotes steemit? Do they also just target the posters that bring in a lot of followers, while passing over the lesser known quality post? I understand that some bots they track have been called out for their activity on the platform. And that's great! But, I'm talking outside of the bots. And If they do have a list of people not to upvote, Is that necessarily a "Bad" thing? We all have personal beliefs that affect what we choose in life. For example: A person raised In a "Christian" household, will be less likely to upvote content on a post about "Marijuana." (Unless, the Christian smokes weed) Is that considered "blacklisting" for personal reasons? Is that okay? Just to clarify: This Is NOT an attack on the whales. They have the right, as do anyone else on steemit, to vote for anything they desire. Just trying to create a dialogue that moves the platform forward by healthy questioning, and careful observation. These are also some basic questions that I get from some of the people that I have talked to about getting on the site. And if you want steemit to grow, you cannot ignore these questions! 

So, do you agree, don't agree with the points here? Please comment any concerns you have with the current state of the platform, that you think will be drawbacks in the Future. This Is a place that I personally want to succeed! I think that it will give a "voice" to the smaller content creators. And reward the people who have been silenced for way too long:) 

P.S. I've tried sharing the YouTube link on my phone, but for some reason it's not working. (Wifi where I'm at is spotty) I'll try and put the link when I get home. But for reference, the title of the video is:

Steem For Investors #7 - Is Steemit Really Legit? - By Tai Zen, Adam Meister & Omar Bham

(By Cryptocurrency Market...On YouTube)

Thanks and take care...

Steemit-life