Thing is, who deserves it and who doesn't is an entirely subjective issue, and those kind of decisions should not be left up to those of us who aren't in a position of control here. To do so is to assume that all the members here are smart, responsible, and productive and we all know that's not the case. I've been negrepped at least three times because of something petty like conflicting opinions. Giving subjectiveness any form of destructive power is a dumb move. This is partly why I have a love/hate relationship with free speech.
I don't think permanent demerits should be allowed to be distributed over temporary unpleasantness. In my opinion, discrediting the value of someone's input by blemishing their account with negrep over fleeting matters (and they almost always are fleeting) is wrong.
It's the moderators' job to decide who deserves what. I'm swearing off negrep on my part. If there's any friction between me and someone else, I'd rather face it head on and deal with it maturely than do the equivalent of taking a big dump on their account and running away.
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