I dislike how the hivemind inhibits discussion, but I don't think Reddit is an appropriate place for such discussions as a result. When the way that the value of something is defined is determined by the masses, I don't think that anything significantly complex in terms of discussion is properly represented by it.

People ought not to be trusted to effectively give a well reasoned vote. So when the system is in place, I think that everyone should take votes with a significant grain of salt.

I feel like my own experiences are a good example. Here's my highest-voted comment.

Here's my second highest-voted comment. (I wasn't even serious with this comment)

Here's my third. Literally six words (including the contraction).

Then, the comment above is a fair bit, 6 upvotes currently. I don't mind it not being heavily upvoted, but when you compare it to six words, it does raise eyebrows.

Here's an example. Now, for the record, I love babbling about Warcraft lore. It's awesome, and it's something I have invested quite a lot of time into. But yeah, I did put quite a lot of time and even learning into making this comment as good as it could have been.

12 Upvotes for literally maybe a half-hour's worth of typing. That's not very impressive.

Second example of 'undervalued' comments.

I honestly have plenty of comments that are a couple of small paragraphs and approximately 1 point. Sometimes it's because it's back-and-forth conversations in a 'dead' post. But a lot of the posts are live when these things happen. People just aren't interested to read it, I think.

Generally, people just need to try and be careful with what they talk about, and certainly in how they approach circumstances. The reason why is simple; if they want to be 'right', then they can do it in their own time, without telling anyone. A comment, however, implies that you want to convince someone else that your view is a better / the correct one. Consequently, don't waste your time by trying to convince someone when it's not going to be received well.

TL;DR Reddit is not an appropriate 'arena for ideas' due to the way the vast majority of people are drastically affected by others' expressions. This is fine as long as people recognise that complex issues are stagnated by this element.