If we were going to employ the stricter rules of some other forums, then we would have to ensure that all threads stayed on topic, and all mindless wumming was summarily dealt with.
Although the latter isn't such a bad idea imo, we have to decide if we want a board that is that narrow in scope. It would also greatly increase the workload on the mods, which might discourage people from taking up the role. They would have to diligently go through everything, and with the best will in the world, their interpretation of the "rules" is subjective and we would just end up with more instances like the one that has prompted this thread, not fewer.
A forum, like all societal groups, is a rough average of its members and, like the 2.4 children scenario, will never be fully representative of any individual entity.
The bottom line is, we get the forum we deserve, because we all contribute to it, and we can all take it or leave it as we choose.