Steemit, I've arrived and I'm not sure If I like you

Finally, I've arrived at steemit. I've long wanted someplace to ramble and explore freely, untrammelled by fears of reprimand or censorship. Not that I believe that I would be censored, not that I have been censored, but, rather that I have felt, perhaps only distantly, a looming eye, a tyrant ready to strike.
Now, is steemit different? I really don't know, but I intend to find out. At least here, I think, I can realistically hope that I might have come upon a platform that promotes the marketplace of ideas. And if it doesn't actively promote it, it seems as though it lends itself well to the fecund soil necessary for the exploration and exchange of ideas. Am I correct?
My fear is that this economy in its current form leads more to politicking, bribing, cajoling and cheap promotion. That the incentive to promote good work, and thus to create it, is absent. Gaming the game, is the name of the game, and to hell with nurturing quality and expanding the reach of our voices, to hell with being the resistance against controlling major tech companies.
My thought, and my hope, as I stand here excited to plunge into this community, is that there is a healthy variety of people here. I think this is a new world, an island populated by various tribes, diverse factions. In this crowd, there will undoubtedly be a principled mass here eager to push boundaries, explore and grow. Also among us are likely mercenaries only here to find angles to guzzle up the most they can. There will be all shapes, sizes, colours and strips and that's just hunky dory as far as I'm concerned.
So, what am I really here for? Well, the truth is I am a self-interested prick, looking for a place to do what I love and get better at it, and all the while, being able to glean a few shekels from my endeavours. Apart from that, I like the idea of getting in on something potentially 'UGE near the ground floor. It's like being among the first to upload a video of your cat urinating onto youtube. Lastly, I want to feel free to share whatever thoughts traipse across my wandering mind, without being plagued by concerns about it pleasing or displeasing my overlords. Let the market decide!