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Threads that reach a predetermined denigration threshold of some number could be "moved" to a Forum called Trash by the Administrator.
We've seen how the "move" feature works on the current IotD. In the case of a thread that is "moved to trash" it might be marked "Trashed" rather than moved, to discourage Guests from wasting their time following that thread to it's new location. The members who are still interested in the trashed thread because they are involved, or otherwise are already familiar with the content, can still get to that thread from its original location for a short time, while they are on "notice" that it has been trashed.
Such a thread could still be "followed" by those interested, but it would move down the page and off the page of the forum relatively quickly. Admittedly bad threads with high posting rates would not be misrepresented to Guests and Members as the "best of the Cellar" by implication of the multiple pages and high posting and page view numbers.
This would keep stale and worthless threads from "cycling" at the top of the forum longer, the more people rant and complain on the thread. Now, even if someone posts to a thread the opinion that it is the worst piece of trash they've ever seen, it goes right to the top of the pile and takes forever to get off the page, especially in IotD.
I think that this approach is quite democratic.
And, like most democracies, you don't even have to vote, and you can only vote if you are in the thread. Administrator can discount flagrant voting abuse, so there is no incentive to stuff the polling ballot.
Voting could be available only to "citizens" i.e. members, and not Guests, who would not even see the Rating Polls. Maybe it could be programmed so that Guests don't even see the trashed threads, except in Trash. (That's not essential and might take some special programming, though.)
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