When I'm done blathering, I'm going to go back and downvote the OP. Then I'm going to have a cup of coffee. If I'm feeling as bitchy then as I am now, I'll go through and downvote some more.

Why would you take this away from me? I'm annoyed at this thread, I'm annoyed at OP's author, I'm annoyed at a lot of people, places, and things. I can, will, and must vent my rage in some direction. Either I downvote some nodes that offend me; indulge in personal rant in CB; or visit the liquor and gun stores and go on a rampage. You pick.

One thing that annoys me so much about this thread is the naive assumption that, as a group or as individuals, we want to be helpful, constructive, loving, or even honest. This may or may not be true but it's fantastic to assume it. So long as we're talking about humans, we'd better recognize the existence of "impure" motives. If no outlet exists for their expression -- believe me! -- more than one will be created.

The other thing that annoys me so much is the naive presumption that anybody who runs this site cares what you think. Again, somebody might but it's madness to presume it. Like most communities, online or in meatspace, PerlMonks is controlled by a small group of people who started it or got in early. They are not going to share much power. A large number of people who got in later are content with this leadership and will support them in any battle. As in most online communities, such a battle is especially one-sided since the group in power has the keys to the rack room -- and you don't.

Just in case you don't understand how this site works, XP is pretty much worthless. You do not get to join the gods, no matter how many points you get. You do not get any money. Downvoting a node may lead to the author losing XP. But since he can't go out and buy a beer with that XP, so what?

The most significant effect on an author whose posts get downvoted is... he has fewer opportunities to vote on other people's nodes. The most significant effect on a post getting downvoted is that it may get reaped... which means you have to click a little harder to read it. Either way, everyone knows that somebody doesn't like you; and yes, that hurts. But never fear: if tomorrow downvoting disappears, people will still find a way to express their unlove.

What you really want is a way to shoot dead anybody who even tries to downvote you. You don't get that; you can downvote back. And that's it.

My big suggestion today is to replace upvotes and downvotes with smileys and bloody bullet holes. These would have the same effects as ++ and -- but might make it more clear to OP's author that it's all just a game.