I never downvote. I don't believe in it. I believe downvoting promotes echo chambers and group think. Should there be an alternative? Perhaps, and it would be "

I never downvote. I don't believe in it. I believe downvoting promotes echo chambers and group think. Should there be an alternative? Perhaps, and it would be "flag with a reason", in other words, choose from a list of common reasons why something should be flagged (like reporting posts on Facebook and other social networks). Anything flagged sufficiently would be investigated; until an admin determines that a post is abuse, it might remain (cannot decide clearly about this). Excessive false flagging would result in the flagger being dinged on karma. And losing the ability to flag. (Another would be to allow one flag per 100 karma points or some such thing.) We know from behavioural psychology that punishment rarely works, that rewarding desirable behaviour is far more effective. Why do we, a supposedly intelligent crowd guided by facts and well established science, behave like schoolyard bullies, shouting down the voices of others? I upvote anything that piques my interest, intrigues me, expresses well what I thought myself, expresses well a thought completely counter to mine (which often means it is the first two things listed as well), and I often upvote downvoted items; the first paragraph implies why.