Your search for the bottom ten percent will put in place mechanisms that will affect the behavior of the remaining 90. You underestimate the ability of people

Your search for the bottom ten percent will put in place mechanisms that will affect the behavior of the remaining 90. You underestimate the ability of people to use such systems to end up enforcing a stifling uniform and grey mediocrity. Turn it on its head - if you switched the voting on HN to find the worst commentors, instead of bringing the best up top - what would happen.