Technically, every post is -1.

When you look at a post and see it has 58 upvotes...it, in reality, has 57 upvotes.

Since every thread you make (including this one) automatically has you upvote it, you will always have to subtract 1 upvote whenever you see a thread to see its actual value.

I say "actual" value because just like Liking your own post on Facebook, upvoting your own thread doesn't add anything to it. Why would you NOT agree with something you believe? Why would you NOT upvote your own joke thread because you think it's funny?

This automated self-upvote is because the current system is set up around "Let's show the highest voted threads first" so in order to get your thread more views, the system makes you auto-upvote your own thread.

Is this the small price to pay for Riot wanting to more easily see what the community agrees upon, or is there a less odd way to do this?

My suggestion: Allow the auto self-upvote, but when a thread you make gets upvoted by someone else, automatically remove the self-upvote. When that thread hits 0 for whatever reason, automatically return the self-upvote.