I think so, it'll help... It's just a matter of perception. If people realise that a downvote is just that, I'm hoping they'll learn to live with it. It's true that because there's money involved, people would be more upset than on Reddit, but hey, you earn your payout.
And yes, I think a downvote should definitely affect payout, personally. I don't know if the Steemit community will be able to deal with that - I would like to hope so - but so far we have proved to be exceptionally thin-skinned people. It's the question as you pose - "Can we handle the truth"? I don't know...
Nice grab of Alex, by the way :)
Most likely not..
Lol, at first I thought this scene was from Terry Gilliam's Brazil, i thought i remember the main character's eyes being pried open in similar fashion.. watched it but just missing that scene somehow..