That’s a good question. I don’t know.
Just speculating, the upvote/downvote does help a user know what is expected behavior and some understanding to build from.
It also provides a rich incentive to post because “number go up” feels good.
I’d love to know YouTube’s data on hiding the dislike button. It wasn’t great for viewers, but it may have had an effect on creator satisfaction. But I don’t know for sure.
The best example of good manliness in media I can think of is Bandit from Bluey.
The options are pretty slim if a cartoon dog from a children’s show is humanity’s best example of being a good man.