I don't happen to think members who haven't earned even one merit should be stripped of their rank. That would be a kick in the pants to a lot of inactive members who were otherwise very constructive members of the forum and who probably would have earned at least one merit since the system started. Just because there are hundreds of such members, it doesn't mean they're all shitposters IMO. Some of them certainly might be, but I just don't think those airdropped merits need to be taken away from everyone if they haven't earned any more merits. Obviously if Theymos thought everyone should start over again, he wouldn't have airdropped any merits.
I agree with you on this. If there is demerit aims at airdropped merits, it should be done with active users only. It is a joke if a Legendary (active one) who made hundred or thousand of posts last two years but have not yet earn a single merit. But there is at least one minus point if we only based on the number of earned merits to judge the quality of one member. Because the one who runs their business here might not earn a single merit but that one might not be a shitposter. As a consequence of a mix of that (inactive good members, active shit posters, active businessmen, etc.), there will be a massive complaints in the forum when airdropped merits will be taken away, I can imagine that.
But if such things implemented and complaints pop-up, I imagine most of them will come from shitposters, not businessmen.
Something like the ratio between total posts made since the merit system's birthday per total counted days. There will be some level of demerit based on that ratio (that can be used to assess users' activities as well as posting activities).
Inactive users wouldn't be demoted.
I agree with it, too.