It seems like what most people wanted was a "challenge". I don't have any issue with that, but call a duck a duck. If this really was a social "experiment", you have to expect people to behave as they would in society, including leaches.
This experiment is a reminder of why we can't have nice things on an honor system. There will _always_ be actors who game the system - typically for personal gain, but sometimes for the lols.
To write off somebody's lack of understanding of social mores because "we were all just ants" is disingenuous.
That said, this whole thing has actually been very interesting to watch from the outside, and there is little doubt Odie made it far more interesting (if not somewhat dishearening).
"Jonathan's Card is an experiment in social sharing of physical goods using digital currency on mobile phones ...," he wrote on his site.