I don't think we really need a demerit system.  Given enough time, what was put in place just about two months ago will work.  Because sMerits "decay" as they're being given out, I think eventually what gets distributed is all going to be in the hands of merit sources and those users who actually earned them via good posting.  And when that happens, there won't be as much merit being bought, sold, or traded between friends & alt accounts.  That's my hope, anyway.  It sure is an interesting thing to watch unfold, and as I've said before I have seen improvement in people's posts, if not a reduction in the number of shitposts. 

The shitposters just haven't figured out yet that they're not going to be ranking up in their lifetimes, but they will eventually.  A human being can only delude himself for so long before reality starts smacking its W tackle up against that human being's face.  Not even these idiots can fool themselves forever.