The only realitic outcome of a proof of brain crypto, is that people will use their brains to game it. And lo and behold, the bidbots found the way. I don't like bidbots..but they still keep a bunch of steem out of circulation. And to use them, people must acquire steem to spend it.
If they keep extra steem out of circulation and can increases the liquidity of steem, that is a benefit to the block chain. A benefit that certain people are envious of high valued junk posts because they are not on the receiving end and don't game it either.
Even facebook and twitter have millions of users and posts of just garbage. It doesn't [normally] respond by deleting them. Rather users find their own connections and communities. Users here are envious that the current system has become a psuedo proof of stake. A proof of stake coin is not inherently bad, and, unlike others POS coins, it is tied to a utility. Some may argue that the bidbots have made the utility a joke, but so aren't many posts on other social media that still have considerable value.
The biggest threats to the block chain are not these big bad bidbots, but the present management of steem that are more concerned with feelings than about economic reality and what steem can deliver.
The benefit of steem was reportedly that it wouldn't censor posts. Now the company has embraced pseudo-censorship of endorsing the whales to disappear any and all content they don't like from steemit. In an era when people are leaving social media because of censorship, instead of taking advantage of the opportunity as users flee to gab, telegram, parlor, and oratione [ok, not that one yet], management embraces the same failed management tactics.
I considered buying steem last month or so before the rally. Money is still at the exchange. I am concerned that the official changes are going to substantially devalue steem. A selloff takes about 13 weeks to complete, that is a lot of pain. And from what I hear, the company still sells or mints steem for money. The less steem its worth, the greater the dilution. So the best thing to help the coin, would probably be to tell management to hit the road, jack, and never come back no more no more no more no more.
I agree it is better to have appointed superusers be able to downvote, rather than a downvoting freeforall. However, even that may not be perfect. It is better than what is being proposed. But these superusers may have their biases, they might try to disappear offensive jokes/comments/politics, etc....but at least there will be less of them and is thus an improvement. Eliminating downvoting is an option instead of steem holding onto the delusional idea of a proof of brain. Perhaps lower rewards for posting/commenting/upvoting, but an improved proof of stake for long periods of inactivity.
I am in the same boat with the pain on the 13 weeks. I wanted to sell and couldn' when Steem was 50 cents each not too long ago. Now I am just powering down it all and getting ready to sell at a good time.