I think we all need to be careful that our helpful/unhelpful votes aren't based on a reviewer's prestige rather than the reviewer's comment, so it doesn't look like a "popularity contest" to someone else.  I've tried to give helpfuls to comments that make sense or hit home with me, no matter who makes the comment, be it "newbie", "vet", or "nerd".  It's the fair thing to do.  The "chess club" and the "pep club" should be treated equally.

Nevertheless, it's still not a good reason to leave RIA.  Let's just be ourselves, and the rest will fall into place.