we are only at the beginning we will see with time if this system will manage to raise the quality of posts and reduce spam
Yeah, sure. That's why legendary are sending each other merits, not sharing with anyone else.
In the meantime don't hold your breath. You won't be ranking up any time soon and neither will I.
Uhh... I think I should be offended.
My rank is legendary, and I've tried to distribute what sMerit I get to posts by newer members that strike me as interesting, constructive, or at least well thought out.
Mind you, the system is new and it's NOT habitual to me yet, but I have made the effort. And it appears to me that I am not alone in this.
Bitching by itself will not get you merit, that I can almost guarantee. Bitching with a point, or sharp wit, very well might

Love your reply. It's good you have such a mindset and I honestly wish all big sMerit holders can have the same attitude as you. It will give this system a hope of achieving what it truly sets out to achieve.
Frankly, I think this system will indeed "raise quality of post and reduce spam", in a good sense (it will not eliminate spam however). I think what genuine people (myself included) are concerned about is the side effect that it will also reduce the number of genuine people ranking up. Because as I have said previously, this system is a very subjective system. The very definition of "quality of post" will differ from one person to another. The level of generosity will differ, as well as the awareness level of each person. As you pointed out, it's not habitual to you yet; I'm sure this is also the same case for a lot others out there. And outside of a few threads similar to this, I'm not sure if there are equal ratio of sMerits being distributed per post on all the other threads. (Perhaps there's an analysis already done that I'm not aware of?)
I guess what genuine members are simply hoping is how to get themselves recognized and achieve the ranking that they deserve without being unjustly hit by the system. That's why there are gripes and rants on this thread.