That`s not true. I first came into the forum on the last December, quite shortly before the merit system was implemented. I am not a very active user, in fact, I just come here twice a week or so, and yet, I`ve come to be able to rank- up to Full member.
The problem is not the merit system. The problem is the people who, without effort, pretend to be rewarded. To me the merits system is fair and useful, it is not only great in the sense of stopping spammers in their way of ranking-up but also encourages the people to try harder, to put their souls and minds into a quote, to be a part of amazing conversations. I think many of you tend to forget that we are all in a big place, and you can learn from people all over the world. This is amazing, and we all should be grateful just for that, for having the opportunity of learning, talking and debating with people from every corner of the world.
This is a social place, I`m sure you don`t complain to the YouTube if you are not getting enough views to monetize your videos, true? Well, that`s the same in here, make a difference, or simply read and learn, engage and enjoy the forum and the merit system is going to be for you just another tool.