Actually, you can get directly to any post in a thread, with just a little bit of trouble.
First, you have to know the post number you want to find. For example, if somebody posts a remark like “See post #9 above” and you want to go there.
Now, go to the address bar at the top of your browser. It may have an address something like:
“https: // boards . straightdope . com / t / vbulletin-or-discourse / 912161 / 15”
(I’ve added some spaces here so it will show the actual URL.) Notice the 912161 and the 15 at the end. The 912161 is the thread number. The 15 is the post number you are currently looking at. Just modify the address to have the post number you want to go to (e.g., 9 instead of 15) and it will take you to that post. To be sure, would be nicer if this number was displayed with each post as in vB.
If you are looking at a post and want to see its post number and entire URL, click on the links icon at the bottom of the post, and it will pop up a box showing all that. For example, THIS post is #20.