I kinda agree with you. Its the merit system that become a hindrance to us newbie and also its somehow connected to the trust issues because in every campaign they priotitize those with higher rank. For me i dont think that theres a great gap between us newbie and those with high ranks because we can also do what they can do but the problem is that the trust of them to us is very minimal. I hope that someday it will change.
Why do you even rush getting higher ranks in the first place? If you're main goal is to join signature campaigns then the new system is working as intended, like HeRetiK said. Also, even with any other forum, don't expect same amount of trust between members who are registered for years and for members that are only here for a few months. This kind of trust is the same with any other forum or activity.