Rant time!

[Texrat]

Rep isn't the problem, it's just another thing that the immature members worry about and use to try and rile up anger against established members. It's a reward and punishment system that works much like society. Nothing more or less.

Agreed.

There's going to be abuse of ANY system... so the rational approach is to weigh the pros and cons and decide what makes the most sense in the long term. To that extent, rep has more power for good than bad. It's a community's most powerful tool for policing itself. The abuses will be weeded out over time IF the more responsible members step up to the plate.

Micromanagement won't be a solution, either, especially if it's combined with leniency for habitual troublemakers (see: gbxforums). Just gotta apply some common sense...