I think there is a value to downvoting being easy, and not require an explanation (Eliezer talked about that being important from the start), but I do agree with you that it can be frustrating.
So, I suggest a better solution would look in the opposite direction, of rewarding articulate downvoting. How exactly I’m not sure, but I think it would be better than something that discourages downvoting.
I guess there’s already some of that, since if you explain your down vote in a comment then it can get upvoted. But it can also be ignored or downvoted, so it’s not a reliable reward.
I think there is a value to downvoting being easy, and not require an explanation (Eliezer talked about that being important from the start), but I do agree with you that it can be frustrating.
So, I suggest a better solution would look in the opposite direction, of rewarding articulate downvoting. How exactly I’m not sure, but I think it would be better than something that discourages downvoting.
I guess there’s already some of that, since if you explain your down vote in a comment then it can get upvoted. But it can also be ignored or downvoted, so it’s not a reliable reward.
One way to elicit more articulate downvoting is to explicitly request constructive criticism at the end of a post.