> it is not good for minnows and dolphins that usually don't get whale hits to have those rare whale hits jerked out from underneath them.

I agree. I think the preferred approach is for the remaining whales to scale back their voting below the 800 MV threshold. That would remove the need for downvotes. Until then, it is unfortunately a necessary evil if you buy into the idea that it is the right direction to head.
> That is where the whale home run comes in.

The same thing could be accomplished with a swarm of dolphin votes.

>  But I have always disliked group punishment, which is what this is.

The intention behind this is really not 'punishment'. Any interpretation along those lines is a misunderstanding on behalf of the person thinking it.

> are we looking forward to a time when whales aren't allowed to use their investment for their own interest AT ALL?

That is not the goal.

> Why would someone invest in the currency or the platform if their own curation ROI is minimal?

I don't think most investors are looking for returns through curation rewards. Investors want ROI through passive investment. Increasing the value of STEEM would be much better than dismal curation rewards on a currency that is continuing to lose value.

> The hope for minnows and dolphins is to contribute enough content to earn whale votes and eventually whale Steem Power. Investment folks invest money, contributors invest time and effort.

800 MV is still a lofty goal to aim for. Beyond that, the game changes. Very few people are going to get to that point unless they are very serious, and hopefully those investors are OK with the idea of capping their influence at a certain point for the good of the platform.

> I just think that the experiment is doing more harm than good.

It is too early to tell that IMO.

> Can we get a heads up, perhaps, on how long the experiment is going to run? That might allay some of the hostility towards it.

I don't have the answer to that.

> I got smacked down on three posts today, which were written and "rewarded" before the experiment started. Obviously that affects my view of the experiment

Understood. I appreciate that you are keeping an open mind about it though. Keep in mind - those of us who are dedicated to the platform want to see it succeed on a massive scale. If we get this right, the few dollars of coins you make off your posts today could be worth thousands in a few years. That is what we are aiming for. With that in mind, it is best to make decisions that are going to give us the best possibility to make it there.