I'm a bit bemused by this idea "To some extent we've all had a go at quenching a topic".

If I find a topic has no interest for me or I can think of nothing to add I ignore it. There are other topics around which I can contribute to. This is not a pub where the noise from one discussion impinges on others. The only reason for wanting to quench a topic in a forum such as this, that I can see, is an attempt to exercise control, for it's own sake, over a discussion. However, I'm open to be enlightened if there is view as to why not ignoring a topic that has no interest for an individual is an appropriate response.