what causes you to say much despised? I personally enjoy thumbs up v thumbs down - I find with 5 star ratings systems people resort to extremes and usually use it like a thumbs up/down anyway (1 star or 5 star)
I'd prefer up/sideways/down. Sometimes I watch things that are brainless, they aren't thumbs up worthy but they are not totally thumbs down either. But if this was hiring a sideways is always down in my book, so I could see why it's not totally useful.