Even prunable data results in perpetual storage.  We've talked in the past at adding messaging, not because it belongs in Bitcoin (in fact it has very high costs and serious risks) but because it would deflect some of the transaction messaging stuff which is even worse... but that would do nothing to address the fact that some people wise to use data packed in transactions to coerce Bitcoin users to store data for them against their wishes— someone trying to do that won't use a kinder alternative voluntarily.

I think your sampling of people with bright orange ignore indicators on Bitcointalk may not be the most representative sample. But indeed, its configurable.