Gmail has announced that they will now let you turn off conversation view if you so desire.
Just as an outspoken minority has banded together in unison to declare their distaste of one of natures most delicious herbs, some of you have been very vocal about your dislike of conversation threading. So just like you can order your baja fish tacos without cilantro, you can now get Gmail served up sans conversation view. Go to the main Settings page, look for the Conversation View section, select the option to turn it off, and save changes. If you change your mind, you can always go back.