A software app like this one evolves over time. Its changes are reflected by new user requirements which are prioritized for a future release. When that new release is deployed, it contains some of the new requirements, as well as a number of bug fixes.
Prioritizing a requirement can be anywhere between "high", and "will not implement."
If a feature exists in a software solution it doesn't mean you have to use it. I would guess that most Windows users tap into about 5% of the features in MS-Word. If you were to take the intersection of the most used features in that program and code them anew, that software would be nothing more than a simple notepad.
For some of us, using the ignore feature is the virtual equivalent to a real-world context where individuals we have identified as bothersome are avoided at all costs. We all do it in real life with a "circle of friends," selective invitations, answering machines, neighborhoods, so why should the value of this feature be discounted here, where the wrong words can cause flame wars and heart attacks?
New features are introduced into a software solution because some users want them and not necessarily all users. You many not ever use the new feature, but that's okay. For others, that feature may make using the software more enjoyable and administering the site less stressful.
If you are small, tight group of people then there is no need for such a thing. But a larger group of people naturally form into cliques and that is not really a bad thing.
Within a clique there is some kind of "leader" who interfaces to other cliques. If everything is cool, the cliques interact.
In a growing virtual community like this one, new members often lose themselves. Ignoring them works like a charm because you are no longer even tempted to respond. They can learn manners that way too. And you save your valuable time and brain waves.
This reminds me of a time I was in a restaurant in Bangkok. A small boy was throwing a fit and his parents stood up and went to the other side of the room. They looked at him a little from the distance but also pretended to ignore him. Within 30 seconds the fit was over and it didn't happen again for the rest of my meal.
In our western society we feed such fits with attention. This technique doesn't solve the real problem, however. Feeding fits with attention can actually make things much worse.
BTW, nobody hijacked this thread. Discussing a software requirement is good thing. It shouldn't be a private message however, as Joe suggests. It should be open for viewing and refinement. That is why this forum section exists.
It is natural that people unfamiliar with software development argue over the validity of a requirement instead of just writing it down and assigning it a priority.