I agree 100%. I bet less than 20% of the post are about the thread. It did not use to be this way. FR is turning into facebook. And now here I am posting a side conversation!
20% content would be a friggin gold mine. Typical s/n ratio is more like 1:10,000. These threads are, IMO, exceptionally well disciplined, even the troll-infested threads are fairly rich in content.
'tis the nature of communication and education in this sort of forum, lots of repetition, doubts, giggles and tangents.