I still think the 'forum interstate system' installed in the last big round of upgrades is another example of technology getting way ahead of policy (this thread pre-dates that change, as the wording clearly indicates). Off-Topic is the same for every Stardock forum site now, so the intent of the OP here is pretty much foiled from the git-go by the fact that Joe User has much broader standards than, say, the game sites that have regular participation by minors.
If this were just GalCiv2's OT or Elemental's OT, then trying to avoid 'inflammatory' threads would make a bit of sense to me. Although I also think that, even when it made more technical sense, the policy was a heavy-handed global response to a problem that is better handled on a case-by-case basis. Banning subject matter just sticks in my craw, but swearing off swearing makes sense because you can say anything you need to without foul language, with the possible exception of deeply nuanced expressions of anger or disgust.