Am so much in love with this post, actually it's been aong while since the last time i heard some kinda opinion here and i must confess that you made clear point here with a lot of sincerity
Yes, we are upvoting because the person is a friend, from the same country or sects. We preach fairness, but we aren't fair either. A shit post of someone showing you food he ate, without even stating the nutritional value is Upvoted to hundreds of dollars. Yet someone who stays up hours creating contents that are helpful to the community gets his post hidden in few hours.
As long as segregation is at its peak, the world is not getting any better.
That's how the world works. No fairness anywhere. Only do your part, and be wiser.