I think the ability to read a thread, new or old, whether one has anything to contribute or not, is not only highly educational but also one of the most entertaining features of this site. It is really not all that difficult to bow out, without comments that may inflame and surely perpetuate, from a thread that has degenerated to namecalling and such. I probably open ten for each one I read thoroughly, and read ten for each one I post to. The search feature makes old threads so accessible; without it, there would be far more redundancy of threads. It is especially useful for finding lyrics or song information of those that have not been included in the DT. I like to see an old thread reactivated, though, when the topic reappears; it is then like a new conversation on a familiar topic.