I have a similar, but different take on it... "Same, Same, but different"
if you will :P

edit OK... so I started rambling a bit, and realised I feel really passionate about the topic... so I'm going to put my reply into an actual (somewhat lengthy) post on my own blog... assuming I get around to finishing it.

My 2 cents (summarised): = Nothing wrong with "playing the game"!

1. I have no problem with the bickering and flag wars - happens in real life too.

2. No problem with bots: Bots already aren't profitable all the time anymore, and just like Google Ads, only quality posts will eventually be using them. The guy with the deepest pockets has an advantage, but the guy with the best content makes the best ROI. Why do we tolerate shit TV ads for shit products, but moan about people with crappy blogs using bots to promote them?

3. We should all be spending more time flagging/reporting! Check out @SteemFlagRewards and @SteemCleaners etc. if you feel you want to help but don't have "enough SP" to make much of a difference.

... and about another 2 pages of back and forth babbling :P