A lot to think about here; thanks for putting together these thoughts.
One of my very first impressions when I found Hive's predecessor almost 5 years ago was a sense of amazement and bafflement at the way a significant number of people were going on and on about the wonder of blockchain and decentralization as the answer to all our woes... while remaining blinkered to the fact that simply because we have these tools does not exempt us from the vagaries of human nature.
Of the many many "People of Influence" I have come across in this ecosystem, it seems like only a minority subscribe to the idea that all we have is a set of tools here, and human nature is and will be what it is. Most humans tend to "voluntarily" centralize and hand off accountability and management to someone else and many humans "voluntarily" take it upon themselves to exploit and manipulate others and situations to their benefit, and the deficit of those others.
The fact that we even use the terms "governance" and "decentralization" in the same sentence seems mildly contradictory. And yet... it is necessary because we seem utterly unable to autonomously think for ourselves and self-govern.
So perhaps your concluding words represent precisely the reality here (which @theycallmedan also hints at) is simply that the "freedom" or "free market" isn't within each tribe like POB, LeoFinance and others, but in the freedom to choose which ones we participate (or don't participate) in.
What comes to mind here is sign I saw at the entrance to a very large multi-booth flea market, many years ago: "Disputes and differences of opinion that cannot be solved via arbitration will be resolved through open brawling."
It seems like that's pretty much how humans operate...
=^..^=
Yes, that is my perspective.
If there are two extreme factions, one that views Layer 2 downvotes as absolutely necessary, and another that views them as harmful and prone to abuse, then we actually NEED two separate tribes, one that operates without DVs and one that openly embraces them. That way, those who prefer the one get what they want and those who prefer the other get what they want.
Even if both are 100% centralized in their respective governance and decision-making, their mutual existence contributes to a decentralized experience for the consumers.
Which then leaves us just with the "tough nut" that so many people who factionalize themselves just can't STAND the idea that approaches different from their own even EXIST!
And I'm only being partially facetious, here...
=^..^=