but seriously.......
No, I don't think it should be eliminated. Furthermore, I think that it's perfectly ok to have a certain amount of non rocketry talk and banter. It does provide more sense of community, and honestly some of the stuff is interesting and fun. There are a lot of discussions that are off topic, or at least partially so, that really are no problem. I actually enjoy hearing some about folk's other hobbies, travel stories, cool birds and stuff they've seen, interesting book/movie/music recommendations, etc., life milestones like graduations and marriages, etc.
The problem is that there are some topics that are just absolutely guaranteed to cause trouble. And to make it worse, there is a very regular crowd around here that goes out of their way to post just those sorts of things. Some of them ONLY post those topics. And some of them have outright admitted that they either do it on purpose to get a rise out of members, or that they at least really enjoy doing so. In short, they are out to stir up trouble, and they do it on purpose. They actually take pride in being a#*holes, and they feel justified in doing so. It sucks.
Yes, I know that we can all choose to just ignore those posts. But honestly, it really stinks that we have members here who purposely create or add to a toxic atmosphere.
The thing is that those topics ARE expressly "off limits" and the rules are very clear about it. But what does that mean to "those people"?....why of course it's just another example about how oppressed they are, and how unfair they are being treated. Bullsh*t. I say eliminate those folks who blatantly break the rules over and over and over again. Especially the ones that ONLY do this, and really never post anything at all that is on topic, or of any substance to the rocket community.
If you want to occasionally post a notice about your daughter's wedding, or tell folks about a cool book/movie you just read/watched, or have a question on how to spice up your chili recipe for the 4th of July party, or even ask a question about home security......fine. Not a problem. But if you once AGAIN decide to start a thread that you absolutely KNOW is going to stir up trouble, and that you absolutely KNOW is off limits (and don't pretend that you don't know), especially if you never post anything about rockets, YOU should be "eliminated".
There is another "rocketry forum" where all of that crap is perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, and you will have lots of responses telling you how cool (and oppressed) your are. Go there.
s6
I would hope that by having this garbage can people will be less likely to pollute the rest of the forum. Now of course some people are just inconsiderate and will throw their trash anywhere, but it does seem to work for others. Myself, I'm a pack-in, pack-out person and try to take my trash elsewhere. But to each their own. 
