I have recently been down-voted on one of my answers and I suspect the user that down-voted it thinks I have copied content from the accepted answer, which could be a fine motive to down-vote.
However, the situation happens to be reversed, and the user who would have taken content from another answer is a much-higher ranked user than I am and has become the accepted answer by OP. I have flagged his answer as a near duplicate of mine, but I don't know if actions are taken when a question is flagged, as a new-ish user...
I don't want to point fingers or start arguments, I'm just wondering if and why this is a fair and accepted system.
Link to question and answer(s) Looking at the dates and times, the answers are clearly delayed.
To be clear: The thing that leaves a bad taste in my mouth is the possibility of down-votes from users who might, at a glance, think I am stealing the answer of a higher reputation user not necessarily the potential duplication of the answer itself.