Our members have the right to talk about things that affect them, I hope SF is the place they can feel free to complain, vent or share their joys. It's not about what the mods want.
AARP is not a regular forum at all, it's certainly not SF's competitor as you put it. AARP is a nation wide organization for senior citizens, there are many negative comments about them on this forum, to me complaining about AARP is like complaining about the government.
For the record, I would love to see many more active forums for American seniors, if a member doesn't like SF (the look, moderation, etc) or can't fit in, s/he still has some choices, everyone is happy. I'm not aware of any active forums for American seniors, if anyone knows any, please feel free to share with us.