I think the majority wont though. The same thing with memes not becoming big if the user base didn't like them existed on other sites to. But the option to distance one self from it is there, and therefore I think that hubski could be okay anyway.
we can just hope that if it does happen it certainly wont be as hard as other sites.
I think that since hubski is so focused on discussion it those who like memes will not be as attracted to this site.
I also feel that our lack of thumbnails will aid us to this end a LOT. I think Reddit could be a totally different site if it didn't enable people to upvote memes without clicking a link into it, or without extensions like RES that make it even easier. Hubski's format doesn't really allow a path of least resistance in this manner, aside from the preview icon (which is also another click to view content). Someone who spends a lot of time thinking about UX might say that this is not optimal for traffic, but it might be optimal for good content.
That's a thing i hadn't really considered, but you're right, that might also discourage memes from forming. The old hubski users also seem to largely favor quality over quantity and see no problem with remaining a small site.