Hmm, the issue is that downrating will not necessarily deter a troll. A troll will see it and think it is funny and go for more. I remember back when this was being discussed a while ago (I think well over 6 months ago, actually), that DJ_O had a great idea:

Show two stats: All your upvotes and all your downvotes.

I don't pay much attention to my respect level, so under the old system, I wouldn't notice a few downvotes, so I would not notice that I had a bad post. However, if I saw a sudden spike in negative posts, I would be worried.

Plus, I know this might deter some folks from rating somebody down, especially a well respected member, for no reason. If a post had +15 uprates and a trollish person decided it wasn't really worth it and should be knocked down some, they might go to downrate it. This would be a noticeable action. I have had -5 downvotes in my history here, so I would notice if one day it went down when the only post I made got 14 uprates.

Quote from: HOMER-16 on March 12, 2012, 01:19:31 am

I personally think this is the wrong way to go. Members cannot be "slapped on the wrist" anymore for saying something they probably shouldn't have, and in the mind of the poster, there is less reprisal for saying potentially insulting or disrespectful posts. It's not going to ease hard feeling, but more increase them as now, a major part of the control factor on those kinds of posts is now gone. Also, all a regular member can do now is report a post or respond to it. With the downvote, a member could just rate down, feel better and then walk away. Now, they'd have to report the post or respond to (and feed) the troll which would potentially leave dissatisfaction, and thus, more drama. Ultimately, the downvote system was an important control on disrespectful and trolling posts and now that it's removed, the only true formal punishment that can be given is either a ban or suspension. And only a moderator or admin can do that, and the regular member can only point out the posts, but can't do anything directly to them. It's only going to increase drama and unresolved issues. That, I already foresee.
 
I also want to bring up the fact that, while you guys are the managers of the website, this came entirely out of the blue and was made without any sort of discussion on it by the community as a whole. (Or at least none that I have seen) I think that for major site changes like this one, the community should be notified and allowed to offer their own opinions and suggestions, because what if it's something the managers think is a good idea, but the community by and large is against? Also, you are also cutting out a lot of other valid outside opinions on the matter. Basically, I think there should have been a news poll thread suggesting the idea before it was agreed upon and implemented.

There's been extensive discussion on the matter, a large part of which has been public on the forums in various threads (mainly the ones where members 'rage', so to speak, about being downvoted). While there hasn't been much drama due to it recently, historically it's been rather problematic.

As far as the community at large being against it, as far as I can recall, you're the only person to really speak out against it, with most others being neutral or for it.