First off:
This is NOT meant to be a criticism of any particular individual or event, it's merely a general comment.
It seems to me that the level of severity in thread moderation has ratcheted up recently, i.e. the number of deleted posts is up, and the number of locked threads is up as well.
I understand full well the difficulty that moderators have, and I also know that over-seeing and policing threads is time consuming and sometimes, really annoying.
But then again, I also realize that people VOLUNTEER to moderate threads, i.e. if you don't want to spend time over-seeing them, then don't do it.
That being said, it seems to me that instead of locking down (i.e. killing) threads that might have some value, it'd prehaps be better if moderators went after individual posters. I.e. if someone is being a problem on a thread, whether it's making inappropriate comments; violating website policy; obvious trolling; making 100 posts that say the same thing; or most important, ignoring warnings and admonitions from moderators, well it seems to me that the answer is to do something about the individual poster, and not taking out the whole discussion.
In short, if there's someone on a thread that has created a problem or is inhibiting or killing a good discussion, then perhaps the moderator should send a PM to the individual involved, detailing the problem, and strongly advising a change in behavior. If the behavior persists, then a sterner warning is put in place. If that doesn't work, then ban the guy from that thread or give him a time out from the whole website.
But to kill off perfectly good discussions because of a handful of idiots doesn't seem to me to be the way to go. It penalizes the good along with the bad; it rewards trolling and bad behavior; it potentially wipes out valuuable and useful discussions.
Oh, and it also gives credence to the perception that the website's moderation has become excessive, and is leading to some good folks leaving the site for locations that are perceived to be freer......and that would be a great pity.
I'd be very happy to hear other opinions on this.