Hive is far from perfect, but the tools here are good. I think that trying to game the system doesn't work out that well. I saw someone caught viewbotting for streaming, and I think it's probably a big problem. In that way, I think that downvotes are a necessary evil for Hive.
I think so too. I believe that just the fact that they exist prevents a lot of abuse, even if it is not used actively.