Do I want to risk a $2 auto-downvote when I can't even give a $0.25 downvote?

I couldn't agree with you more! Downvoting for the smaller accounts is very risky, so I watch my steps carefully aswell.

Nothing I want to see on the chain ever ends up trending so why wouldn't I opt to maximize ROI over what I want?

I completely understand this aswell. Trending with the whales upvoting eachother is setting a bad example for the rest of us. Even if you want to do better, you can't make a change without a shitload of Hive Power in your back pocket. I understand how you can get tired of trying to do the right thing, while every single day you see so much greed, making your efforts feel in vain.

I keep trying to find a good balance between making this worth my time and effort, and trying to fight injustice. For me, downvoting is too risky, so all I can do is upvote good posts and not forget the lower rep accounts.