And this is why we can't have nice things. It is a very interesting and sad trait of humans to try and game, maybe it is the educational system that tries to make us competitive and not a social animal caring for the good of all. I do believe people are good but certain rules need to be laid down to protect us from ourselves.
I do hope that steem can evolve and stay alive but with many of gatekeepers profiting from the current system why would they reach consensus to make the changes needed.
We are at a fork in the road and as a community we need to choose a direction. Be the change we want to see. The history of the blockchain will record our actions for all to see and learn from.