I agree with you 100%. I've seen the argument several times that some pay-out is better than none, but that comparison can only be used if all things are equal. The Steem system is far behind something like Facebook for a social media platform in so many ways that it would be like comparing grapes to watermelon. The price for a grape and the price for a watermelon will be hugely different and they are not even the same as far as taste or anything else, except that they are both juicy. So now if someone were to offer to give me a few grapes for free, but I don't care for the taste/texture/or whatever of grapes, would I be incentivised to eat grapes just because they are free? I think most people wouldn't be.

If I loved watermelon and someone offered me free watermelon, of course I would take it. Steem needs to become the watermelon FIRST, then they can use the "but you earn dust here and there you don't" argument.