Let's implement an ignore system (which is not mandatory to use) with different levels, like this:
- No ignore (freedom)
- Small ignore (ignoring only blatant spammers, scammers, etc...)
- Medium ignore (ignoring more spammers, scammers)
- Strong ignore (ignoring nearly every spammer, scammer)
- Reversed ignore (whitelist, everyone else is ignored automatically).

If it's not mandatory to use the ignore list, people fighting for freedom can't have any argument, because people will be free to choose if they want to ignore spammers or not...

This needs some (or a lot of) users to maintain the ignore lists.

But on the long run (when the merit system will be fine tuned) we can set up the ignore system like this:
- No ignore (can see everyone)
- Small ignore (ignoring users with default merit, who haven't gathered additional merits)
- Medium ignore (ignoring those who gathered less than 10% additional merits for their rank)
- Strong ignore (ignoring those who gathered less than 30% additional merits for their rank)

In this case, ignore lists are not needed, it can be automated (and still not mandatory to use, to let people choose if they really want to read shitposts...)
This needs the merit system to work as expected, so it needs time, but it can be a kind of automated solution.

EDIT:
I've changed my mind.
Why not to implement the second solution immediately, to test it? If it's not mandatory, people can not complain about it.
For newbies, who had no chance to gain merits, there will be the merit sources (with no ignore list activated of course) so they will have the chance to gather some merits to escape the ignore lists.