I agree with Peter T's assessment, but I would add that (and I've made the point before) there are inherent differences between this forum format and the "pub" analogy.

At a pub you can actually know (or not) that you are being ignored, snubbed, thought ignorant, or had a thought assimilated and accepted. The other folks will acknowledge you or not----but you know either way.

as this is the norm for conversational type communication---it is easy to forget that this isn't (and can't be) the way a forum works.

As shambles has pointed out to me, it should be obvious but it's easily forgetable that just because nobody responds to your post doesn't mean it wasn't read...or even agreed with.

But...

What many of you have found (learned), as evidenced by your posting style, is that you CAN"T post with the goal of getting a response. You will almost certainly be disappointed.

Still, as this format so closely approximates conversation, and since conversation is often (almost always?) entered into for its "fellowship" aspects, it is easy to fall prey to the hope that you will be deemed significant by a response...

...especially when you grow to respect the personalities, talents and intellect represented in this forum. The desire for "Significance" is one of the two major driving forces in human existance.

Anyway, I would be willing to bet that the excessive number of extra, duplicate in concept threads are started by a needy soul, craving that he be found significant by having his post responded to (even if negatively). (S)he probably has had sufficient experience trying to participate in an existing thread---only to have his post "ignored".

Sadly, I see no solution. I agree that the music threads will come around again.....the problem I see there though?

It seems to me that with each successive cycle of gluts of religious/political thread finally giving way to the return of the music threads......the discourse in the music threads becomes more and more curt. Dammit, I WANT bullshit in the MUSIC threads. I WANT to be entertained in the music threads. I WANT to sit around with a few beers and talk guitars, songs, chords, theory ,history........and yet these are the threads that garner the goddam one word answers!