I would go further. I think the solution lies in removing airdropped merit from everyone. They have had enough time to earn merit.
This has been suggested many times in the past, IIRC.
How I have come to view the situation, these members who were here before the merit system and before the forum was 'as popular' are partly the reason there's a forum for newer members to register later on.
I had not heard a thing of Bitcoin in 2010 thought to 2016, but yet users kept discussions going on here, donations, moderating, reporting many of such tasks which came with no reward.
Airdropped merits is sort of proof of the effort put in before a certain time and scrapping it out is an extreme action, imo.