A simpler solution would be to eliminate the downvote entirely. As the poster points out, it doesn't add much to the site. Mathematically, it just increases the

A simpler solution would be to eliminate the downvote entirely. As the poster points out, it doesn't add much to the site. Mathematically, it just increases the contrast between favored and disfavored posts---the same thing could be done algorithmically, based on the rate of upvoting. It would also be helpful to randomize the order of comments for the user, with a strong random influence early in the thread that is reduced as the number of comments and upvotes increases. This would reduce the rich-get-richer effect, which might be amplified if the downvote is removed.