I am a newbie, I want to clearly state my opinion on meriting.
The idea of merits for ranking is not bad in my opinion, no one needs bullshit in his house. Some say it's being harsh on beginners but it's not, it's actually telling the new guys like me that this is a serious place so no garbage.
The forum needs value from everymember.
Newbies need to understand it and make worthwhile posts. You only get worth you deserve.
You're a 100% correct that this forum needs value input from every member.
But sadly this your input is definitely unhelpful and doesnt add any value whatsoever to the forum as it's been brought up over a 100 times now