Let me see if I understand what you're saying...
You say that when we lock a stupid topic we drive the new member who created it away, so instead we shouldn't lock the topic and let other people flame and spam in it in such a way that will drive the new member away...in the name of community.
The hell are you smoking?
BTW, letting Stoic spam in that topic didn't 'bring him back' he was already here. Hell he's got more posts then me.
Just letting the retard topics sit there while other members turn them into mini spam fests in not a good idea, no matter how you slice it.