I propose the idea of an 'ignore' button on the forum. This will allow someone to totally bypass a thread/user they don't get along with. Members that wish to contribute in a helpful manner will not add the OP to the ignore list. Those that want nothing more from a user, will use the feature.
I think it would decrease the work load of the admin staff. For one, they would not have to babysit the forum threads as much. They would also not have to make senseless posts themselves to admonish a bad post made by another. This just might help with the search feature. I bet all those senseless posts that are thought to be helpful, will not confuse the search filter as much.
Remember the first rule. Garbage in = Garbage out.