First, I think their position isn't necessarily just that flags don't come with a comment you can flag back. My understanding is the worst kind of botting, self-voting, and circle jerking was being undertaken and because of the language barrier, had been for a while, until they were served a cease and desist flagging.
Secondly, I think that if you want a drop down for flags, you should want one for upvotes too. I agree flags are broken, but I am not sure a dropdown menu is the right fix. Maybe they should need to come with a comment, but then I'm hoist on my own petard, and upvotes should too.
Frankly, since I oppose automated voting for any reason, I actually could maybe live with that, as long as the comments either way weren't automated, but written by a person.
Lastly, I don't think folks undertake extortion for only stated reasons. I don't think they are simply interested in the specific fixes suggested, but seek more power out of avarice.
It's a political manouver, not just redressing grievances.
I do see it as political maneuvering, I would prefer that people manually vote myself, I do understand why some don't, it is not that easy of a thing to do. I also remember the madhatter days of "I gave you an upvote" comment. Those did not go over very well, it was seen as glad handing and trying to get comment votes back. I see down votes as a negative action, does not matter the reason altruistic or not a down vote is a negative action taken against a post, an account or an individual and have led to blanket automated down votes on some people for everything. People can justify all they want about protecting the reward pool, but it is still a down vote, it is still a negative action, I would prefer the down voter leave the reason, but if an automated response is acceptable to the down voter or they do not feel like elaborating on the why of it, at least the community can see the vote clearly.
Check box for up votes I can live with also, even though I do not like the idea of having to justify positive actions, it hurts a person's karma when they point out their good deeds to people.
Flags are negative inputs on accounts, of that there is no doubt, and folks that dissemble regarding that are disingenuous.
I had hoped to get past check boxes. My views have never fit in one.