Mute is post-facto. Some people get so many replies that they don't want that mute isn't enough for them. They don't want to see them in the first place.
For this we can/should have community mute lists (which some people are calling 'block') that takes input from labelling/reporting (NIP-32, NIP-56) and has community moderators, which are subscribed to by like-minded people. Those community mutes won't affect you and me because we won't subscribe to them, but for people who trust their in-group, they can have such group mute lists. Most people in those groups won't see most offending posts, so it serves their purpose.
I just made a post going over many of the options: