While I fully agree with the drive to add more user-specific customization to comments, I'm not convinced stripping the hush from the ignore and mute is going to work. Preferably, if you want to get rid of someone, there should be two options: the Get Out of the Way option and the Get Out of my Sight option. Which is kinda what we have now, I think: it's quite difficult to guess the exact workings of the three functionalities. But one option would be to reduce a user's visibility, the other to remove it. I see no reason to have a third option.

Automating is very difficult, because you will always create an artificial bias based on your assumptions and limited knowledge.

It is difficult, but if you have to do everything yourself it soon becomes something that requires upkeep. I don't want to have the RES-effect, that if I don't keep up, my comment section will be horrible. Maybe it is possible to have some automated comment sorting based on previous interactions, and give the user the ability to nudge it back down or further up. It's a ranking after all, and in the end it's just a numbers game. Difficult, but not impossible.

Highlighting their status might work against the functionality.

Maybe just greying out the comment? I don't know, I'd just like some visual feedback that a comment is being moved because of my actions.

Also, if we ever get to name a sleeping pill / liquor, it shall be named hushski.