Yes Steem is not a unicorn fairyland. Steem is the real world.
"The Haejins and the Bernies of the world are constantly devaluing the steem" no they are not. People disagree about stuff happens all the time. It's human. It's not like there is a new big argument here everyday. On Steem Blockchain people voice opinions more than other platforms. Since on other platforms you have bad protection.
"People get maliciously flagged until they leave the platform." this is not true either. People have intense discussions yes. Some lose some cents here and there. That is mainly what you see. Many people become best friends after a disagreement. Adults have different opinions about stuff.
Majority of people create higher quality content eventually get's discovered and rewarded. You can even daily get paid for walking with @actifit. Also you did not mention a place that is more positive. Here people invent new projects on a weekly basis.
I'm working on a project for Steemit right now with a witness developer! very exciting stuff for Steemit!
@phoneinf Flagged off platform: https://steemit.com/@doodlebear