Your post is on point, except that I think it is idealistic to believe that most people act rationally or with any thought to the greater good or the long-term. I am by nature a humanist, except that I do not believe humans are innately good or rational. People act with short-term goals and rather selfishly. Your article was written a while ago and so many things have happened since then on steemit. Has your viewpoint changed a little since then? I started here thinking I would never pay for an upvote, until I learned it is impossible to even be seen unless you get down and muddy by relinquishing those principles at least to geta small push start. I wrote a post on my sister blog a few weeks ago in which I mentioned that the reputation score is best seen as a measure for myself of the degree to which I've reached my own audience - a measure of the success of my own brand. Each account's rep score reflects the progress of that account along it's own path. My path is unique.
It is good to learn here are great people on steemit like yourself. Take care.