I have to own up. Every time I see a thread locked by the mods I need to look. Anyone else have this addiction?
Yeah, if a thread is locked, I usually take a look at the last few posts to see why. If it seems to be an interesting trainwreck, I’ll read more. I have learned some subtleties of moderation by reading locked threads, though.
I feel compelled to take a look at car wrecks and people who are being ticketed, too. I feel a little dirty right now. :o
Yes I do, but I used to poke dead things with a stick when I was a lad. I guess I never outgrew the habit.
Who doesn’t? I’m always hoping for something juicy, but usually the OP just asked the thread to be closed.
Also, if I find a BANNED member, I check out his/her last few posts.
Me too, but such an effort is almost always disappointing, as most bans are for socks, and not asshattery. I keep looking for the “magic” post full of profanity-laden bulging-eye diatribes against another poster or a moderator, and almost always am let down. 
Wait? There’s a new locked thread? Where is it? Where? Where? I wanna see the trainwreck!
Oh.
We’re just talking about locked threads…
Yeah. I look at them, from time to time.
I too seek the treasures of the forbidden threads, whose arcane secrets may still be viewed though their pulse may have quieted.
I usually look too. I dunno why.
Me, too. In fact, I think it only appropriate we do something to get this thread banned.
I find it kind of amusing, when I lock a duplicate thread, how much more rapidly views accumulate on the locked version than its identical twin that is still open (at least initially). 
really?
I really don’t see the purpose of locking threads don’t most of them die a natural death in a few days?
Absolutely! They’re usually zombies or duplicates, but sometimes you get s good one!
Yup, I too have to see the cause of death.
If they are duplicates, the purpose is to have all the responses in a single thread. Having two active threads with the same title would be confusing.
Sometimes an OP will request a thread be closed because the question has been fully answered; or they screwed something up; or they decided the thread wasn’t such a good idea. These may be closed on a case by case basis.
Of course, if a thread does become a train wreck, it may be locked simply because it isn’t dying a natural death.
The same may go for threads that have been answered or run their course and are just attracting inane jokes or other comments or pointless bickering. The purpose of closing these is to allow more productive threads to take their place on the first forum page.
I started this very same thread a couple of years ago, but it’s not turning up in a search.
I physically cannot let a locked thread go unclicked.
God, I thought I was the only one. These are my thoughts exactly…
Joe
:: raises hand ::
Guilty. It’s just so tantalizing!