Absolutely. I also find that the minnows/dolphins/whales classifications seem to also affect who people hang out with. Small fish gravitate to big fish in the hopes of big crumbs.
And yet it seems to me that the 'smart' thing for whales to do is to engage in circular voting among themselves. I would 'really' appreciate it if you or anybody else could explain why I'm actually mistaken in this thinking. :c)
You're right, they're all asskissing each other for votes. STEEM POWER is way too influential when there aren't any systems in place that ensure quality curation.
This is regretable and a clear short-coming in the structure of the system.
It will be a challenge (for me) to think up any solution that would also serve the interests of whales. Still - it needs to be done.
Thank you for confirming my suspicions.