"People can certainly use it that way, but I think it's useful for de-emphasizing irrelevant or inflammatory comments as well." This is my problem with it, tha

"People can certainly use it that way, but I think it's useful for de-emphasizing irrelevant or inflammatory comments as well." This is my problem with it, that is mainly used to hide other opinions. Even flagging gets abused for that. I want to read other opinions, but what I don't want to read are lowe effort crap comments. They can and should be downvoted into nothingness, but downvoting well written out opinions is something I strongly disagree with.