That's not quite the same thing as decentralization in this case, however. I know what you mean — it can be intimidating to think that a higher rep can adjust your rewards and penalize your own rep with a heavy flag... but this still doesn't truly censor you. The posts you make are in the chain, for good. Even with a negative rep and UI hidden posts or comments, your followers, and anyone else, can still find the entirety of your work in the STEEM blockchain, forever, just as you put it there. This really isn't true of many other social media, which can disappear any trace of you or your intellectual property at any time.
The flagging and rep system are both tools designed to help our community try to decide on and enforce common societal rules and values, but they are not perfect. There has been a lot of discussion on how to improve these tools, and I think we'll see some positive changes to both over time. While it may feel like true censorship to be flagged, just remember that absolutely nothing and no one can take your work out of the chain and away from the people who are looking for it!
Thanks for this new perspective. Sounds convincing.
Agreed, Steemit seeks for checks and balances. I like the competition of Steemit and cryptocurrencies in general. Free markets can be tough but I like them.