Howdy!
Appreciate the feedback and the passion for the site and forums. The thought is twofold on this:
-Thumbs up/thumbs down likely results in less actual contribution to the discussion itself... it’s best for there to be active forms of engagement in discussions whereby a poster contributes to the discussion taking place with an actual post if they have something to say that's in line with the topic
-There’s a tendency for some personality types to want to turn discussions into a “you should/shouldn’t have started that discussion” battles. Thumbs up/down in a lot of ways encourages that type of fight further. If a discussion isn’t of interest, the best thing to do would be to not post in it and perhaps start a different discussion that is consistent with ones interests. If the post is against the rules however I always appreciate reports through the flag link next to the post so that I can look into and address if needed
Thx again.. I know it might not quite be what you had in mind but sometimes have to make calls for what I feel strikes the best balance for the medium as a whole!