Are there unnecessary responses to posts? Yes.

But I'm baffled by the thread given as an example. I found it absolutely fascinating, and learned a lot. The 2 main contributors put a lot of thought and effort into what they wrote. There are other active contributors to the Japan forum who have posted as well.

There is a community in certain forums. Sometimes folks post succinctly, yet it is a signal to others who participate in that community that they are reading and enjoying.

I suggested the thread for Talkmail last night, because I found it so intriguing.