Ooh, good solution and good problem to point out on controversial stuff!  Why not, while allowing upvoting, also allow independent assessment of risk&#x2F;controversy&#x2F;value, and these somehow weight things to reward such gambits, as long as a substantial minority of users vote them up or something?  Maybe a sliding percentage, so that if even people who downvote it mark it as controversial or whatnot, the more people thing it&#x27;s controversial&#x2F;provocative, the smaller the percentage who have to agree with it&#x2F;up vote it? Just a quick reaction, I&#x27;m sure with some iteration and&#x2F;or thought you could develop a better similar (or different) idea with some models to support it as optimal, or pareto optimal given some constraints.