As a brand new mermaid here (I can be neither Whale or Minnow) I am sincerely interested in how this is all going to play out. I don't have much time invested yet, but I can only imagine that someday I might be so fortunate to have something of a higher stake -- all that down flagging feels like it could become a "black balling" event.
"It is about preventing the scenario where a toxic downvote is 'necessary' from occurring in the first place." <--- that feels right.