I would like to see the downvote on comments removed and replaced with the flag link, thoughts? Another possible solution: give posters the option to have the

I would like to see the downvote on comments removed and replaced with the flag link, thoughts? Another possible solution: give posters the option to have their karma score be invisible. I would love this as I actually don't really care what my number is in aggregate (unless I start thinking about it too much). In fact, it sometimes is annoying or detracts from a conversation when conversations get to be all about karma-attacks and number of downmods. It's also distracting to see "attacks" against particular people, rather than their ideas. A simple light-graying out of a comment would be sufficient to know it had been down-voted. It's not always necessary to know that a comment was downmodded X number of times. Sometimes I get the sense that certain people are "ganged up" on for having an unpopular opinion. Slashdot caught on to the perils of a number-based karma system and no longer has a number-based karma system; instead it's some rank like "Terrible, Bad, Neutral, Positive, Good, and Excellent." That is smart. I think the number-based competition is fine for reddit, but it doesn't really add anything here.