I went looking for the thread on Thread Drift as a result of reading the current thread BS: Rules for Kittens in Mudcattery , which started off as a serious discussion and now is not serious at all, unless you count "humourous" exchanges and put downs as being serious.

While looking for that thread drift thread {which I've not found yet}, I found this one. I don't know whether Jeri would agree, but I think that this comment of her's fits what happened/is happening on that "Rules For Kittens..." thread:

Subject: RE: BS: Native Behaviors in Mudcat Society
From: Jeri - PM
Date: 15 Nov 07 - 06:29 PM

Perfect example why nothing serious or close to the heart will ever be successfully discussed at Mudcat again. People who are willing to sabotage threads by posting stupid shit in quantity will be too uncomfortable to let the threads continue. They don't have anything to say about the actual subject, but they have to let their egos run free to trample smaller but significant contributions."...

-snip-

I admit to having a very serious nature, and I know that I'm prone to analyzing and over-analyzing most things. With regard to that Mudkittens thread, I've wondered whether the "stupid shit" {aka "humorous put-downs/exchanges} serve a worthwhile purpose of helping restore the community of posters' equalibrium when difficult subjects are raised and {as a result} discussions either become or threaten to become to emotionally tense. If that is the case, then maybe changing the subject is a good thing.

Or is it? I truly am not sure. Maybe it depends on the subject and how it is changed and whether we ever are mature? comfortable? courageous? enough to discuss sensitive subjects.

Furthermore, I'm wondering what-if anything-should be the role of the thread starter when his or her threads goes off topic in the way that I've described in a general sense and not focusing on that Mudkittens thread or this thread. In response to a poster on that Mudkittens thread who wrote that she felt that the Original Poster might counsider such a high degree of thread drift to be rude, the Original Poster responded that she had no problem with the thread going off-topic.

In addition to the question about the conscious {or unconscious} motives for posters taking a thread off-topic after sensitive, difficult subjects are introduced and briefly discussed, as a secondary question, I wonder what would happen if the Original Poster does request that the comedic exchanges and putdowns cease and the commentors return to more serious discussion.

Does anyone care to respond to these questions?

Btw, because I think I should, I'm going to post a link to this comment on that Mudkitten thread. And, because I'm interested in re-reading it, I'm going to continue looking for that Thread Drift thread. If I find it, I'll post a link to it in this thread.