That's a smart way to put it. I believe the frustration isn't fueled by "ethics" per se. Most people ethics are whack if you look deep down enough. They don't hold a logical ethical system but a "I feel this is unfair" kind of system.
What happens is this: People are outraged when what they perceive as "bad" content rises to the top.
They feel underappreciated and hurt and tend to fuck off.
In a way, this is illogical too! Because their posts are not all that better and anyway, didn't make any money anywhere else! But the $$ sign changes everything right away.
I don't mind a powerful minority that in time will create a powerful majority, but I think we need to be careful about not alienating new users. How exactly, it's an open discussion but one worth having.
For all of us!