My Idea is: Restructure Blocking in Comments
Example: Your parent comment sparks a very lively and intense discussion and then after awhile someone comes in being insulting and intentionally disruptive, so you block them.
Current Function: The blocked user's posts are collapsed and you can no longer interact with them. However, within your comment tree, you're also blocked from interacting with any user that interacted with the blocked user. The blocked user is free to continue the conversation with all other users with no restriction, except not with the person that blocked them. This allows a blocked user to hijack conversations.
Proposed Change: When a user is blocked, they are not able to interact with the person that blocked them, or with any child comments within the comment tree of that user. And the blocking user will now be allowed to interact with all child comments within their comment tree, except for the user that was blocked.
Discussion: The current structure discourages a lot of engaging and productive conversation, because rather than limiting them it rewards users intent on disruption and hijacking. It penalizes the user that blocked them by preventing free discussion with anyone within their comment tree that interacted with the blocked user. The blocked user is able to continue the discussion unrestricted with anyone but the user that blocked them, successfully completing the hijack/disruption. Blocking should instead function similar to how it works for an OP. When a user is blocked, they are isolated from the comment tree of the user that blocked them but they are able to freely continue participating in the larger discussion.
edit: a little rewording for clarity