There are 2 responses to a silly joke, playing along and enjoying it, or codgy ole stick in the mud getting bent out of shape over it.
Way back in the day it was a wild shitshow of who could be most ridiculous, trolls trolled on topics like cats and vegetables and rainbows and it was all silliness, now it's all politics with genuine emotions attached.
Honestly though I dont think it was the politics that killed OT, mopeds in general changed, less the 80s dance party and more the grungy basement metal show. And that's fun too, but it took some of the goofiness off the internet, definitely pulled focus off the forums, took many things more seriously. But for OT, the nail was probably shelly B. She was just so genuinely nice that it took the fun outta being goobers to each other. Then everyone bailed, and then even shelly left and the only thing still here were the codgy ole mudstickers