Let's not make this a nazi camp...zero tolerance camp?Really?
There are already plenty of rules, and you can avoid threads you dislike ,or you don't have any interest in by simply not clicking on them.The report button is also already invented,so you can use it if you see a thread violating some of site's rules(duplicates,spam,etc).You should be allowed to breathe and make mistakes without you getting the stick,and it is unfortunate that the mods work extra hard when big things happen,but this is a big forum and the reality is when something exciting occurs people tend to wanna bounce off their ideas/theories, which then again makes this site fun/interesting.
Besides, just because you deal with the same topic doesn't mean the content is always the same, and by merging the threads together you actually make the discussions very narrow/limited,because not a lot of people are willing to read through 300 pages of anything,so naturally people's thoughts get lost in the sea(some of them brilliant) without them getting any recognition,or the chance to further develop them.
I bet some of the folks raving about this idea will change their tune when the change gets implemented,and they get a taste of it themselves.
Btw, this is not a critique to the OP but the idea itself.I get annoyed by flame,arrogance and spam,as well, but the report button is there.