Downvotes have been a contentious point since the dawn of Steemit, I think. We've had self-righteous plagiarists and vote-buyers getting upset at downvotes ever since people started to take notice. Shitposting to farm the bot trails is also a perennial issue. The AI spammers are just the newest iteration. Some people just post vapid nothingness and rely on the trails of upvotes. It's disgusting, and I think they should also get downvoted.

If people aren't actually engaging with replies like the one you illustrated, it indicates they are probably posting in bad faith. You mentioned @tarazkp, who seems like a genuine person creating the kind of content that gives HIVE real value to other people. Same for his brother @galenkp and his writing/community initiatives. Seriously undervalued members here! There are a few writers like @meesterboom and @slobberchops who get massive rewards, but they're posting original content I subjectively think is worth it, and I don't begrudge them their rewards even if I think a lot of it is autovoters who don't even read it, and are thus really missing out in the former's artistic vulgarity or the latter's explorations. They also both like to banter in their own comment threads and engage with other writers on their posts.

My own downvotes have not been utilized as much. If I see spam or plagiarism, I'll definitely join in, and I should get more active in the anti-abuse vigilante groups. Do we get cowboy hats in the crypto posse?