It's funny how our expectations change how we feel about certain situations. If I posted videos on YouTube, I would not have any expectation of getting hundreds of dollars for a video. Likewise, if I was just blogging using Wordpress, I have already come to the realization that I will probably never even make $10 based on ad revenue. But now with Steemit, I feel annoyed and discouraged when my posts are barely visible and make less than $1. In fact, I do feel a little discouraged if my posts don't consistently make over $100 because I don't get upvoted by curie or something. I am coming to terms with that and am still eager to post regardless. But I have to admit the truth.
You're right. This platform may not be fair I guess. If I downvote a whale, that whale can choose to downvote my posts for the rest of my life so that I never get a payout on this platform ever again. He doesn't need a reason or explanation. Maybe he did it because I disagreed with him. Maybe he doesn't like my name or is just angry. All you can do is find a way to adapt.
I also compare my Steemit rewards with other platforms. With Blogger for example, it took me more than a year to get a payout of any kind. And this is after generating thousands of hits worth of traffic for the Do No Evil corporation. With Steemit, I already have a few cents for each post. And using markdown is far easier to me than trying to use Wordpress or someone's reinventing the wheel platform.