[alanmcorcoran]

Patrick,

Is there any generally accepted method of either locking a thread, or locking out a user from posting to a thread once it has descended into a pissing contest? I'm not sure exactly how it would be done, but perhaps after the second or third, "It's not me, it's you, asshole" post, just shut the thing down. It's annoying to see new posts, ostensibly about someone's ride or mod only to discover that it's a never-ending pile of off-topic "'you're, a poopy head', 'no, you're a poopy head' 'Oh yeah, well everyone thinks you're the BIGGER poopy head'" crap that no one involved seems to be capable of stepping away from.

I'm not talking about the threads that drift off topic (especially if they drift into zombies), just the ones that descend into kindergarten poo-throwing.

The preponderance of these tantrums doesn't really serve anyone. I think it drives a lot of people away and results in just a handful of "regulars."