So someone just has to tag mods and ask for a thread to be closed?

The mods are fickle beasts.

Sometimes they will leave a thread up for days or weeks when it has long since descended into squabbling and insult throwing, sometimes they lock it down right away.

Sometimes they will ignore thread after thread requesting the same thing, only to respond to the latest one requesting the same thing in the first reply.

Sometimes you make long, considered posts about things and never hear a peep, only for someone to call something "cringe" and get an immediate response.

There are probably reasons behind the scenes for this apparently erratic behaviour.

Perhaps certain policies prevent them responding to some threads and users but not others.

Perhaps policies change and where as an older, longer thread with greater user participation had been ignored, they can respond to the first new thread immediately under the new policy.

Or maybe it just depends on the luck of the draw. You just have to get the right mod to see your post at the right time, be on the right mood and able to respond under their own policies and rules.

I doubt we will get any insight into any of this, unless some mod feels inclined to elucidate.