Long live PPR!

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I have to say that although PPR is not everyone's cup up tea I think we still have lot to be proud of with the level of discussion that is possible when WP folk explore and dissemble ideas with vigor. This is despite the obvious party political stuff which is of lesser interest to me.

Not really a question so much as an endorsement in talking up not down PPR section. For those that say it is just cesspit.

PPR is a cesspool but compared to other online political discussion it is heaven so long live PPR but I hope in the future there are less negative and divisive topics to discuss.

I actually meant deconstruct or disassemble, but I'll will take that mistake in good humour.

The only thing I don't like about PPR is the party political threads, which discuss nothing.

I'm largely uninterested in the religious threads these days.

It lacks humour at times.

Or humor for the Trumpets.

True story, I got a ban for making fun of Americans, severe lack of humour.

Still love PPR.

Even the Trumpets.

I think it tends to run into the same kinds of challenges that any bolt-on PP & R folder would run into when the main site's scope isn't specifically one of those topics. One thing I have noticed, the moderating team did some really good house-cleaning and it seemed like some of the more obsessive and deliberate trouble makers aren't bogging the forum down at the moment. I hope it can stay that way long enough to get the current cultural improvements to solidify and bore away any future replacements for bad memories.

If it didn't beat the alternative, I'd post in the alternative.

what's "the alternative"?

It's just a representation of thinking like an economist. Posting here has the opportunity cost of foregoing posting in the next most likely place (or actually doing something productive ). I didn't have anywhere in particular in mind; I used to post a lot on SG before they killed the boards, and the groups. I've posted on Whatever, but it's only comments on things so well written that they usually leave little to add. Huge social media sites unnerve me a little.

Hear, hear!

To be honest I think the quality of discussion has declined considerably recently. There are far more reactionaries and not as many people with interesting, nuanced, well-considered viewpoints.

Obviously nostalgia goggles kick in big time - I naturally think of the interesting users and discard the ArrantPariahs of the world when I think of the past.

Maybe it's better than a year ago but that's a pretty low bar I'm not sure to be honest; lots of good users aren't posting as much and they haven't really been replaced.

I also think the quality is too low. I don't know what can really be done about it though, because the quality of the atmosphere I think is high. And I wouldn't want to jeapordise that. I can't think of anything that wouldn't jeapordise that. So I'll take what I can get and hope it might get better.

I've seen the opposite side, I've spoken of issues with another forum before, discussion quality was high, and that was what drew me in the first place. Except for the fact it was full of hard left authoritarian, hateful, elitist as*holes who nurse grudges for years and years and years. And awful, abusive mods of the exact same ilk. Even if I hadn't been in the crosshairs there, that would still be worse than here. People wanting every kind of diversity except the only one that matters, diversity of mind. I don't want to be in an echo chamber. It's not even any good when you're on the "right" side because other people on "my side" are being awful to the ones not on it and they're powerless to do anything about it because the ones on the "right" side are protected. It's like watching the internet equivalent of someone tied up being slapped in the face over and over and over again. So I'd just end up feeling so dirty to be associated with them. I don't want to slap that person down, I want to talk with them!

If there is a solution to the quality issue, it would need to be something which didn't intrude on people being able to be themselves, as they seem to be able to be right now. No punishing people for "low quality" posts or the "wrong" opinion. No elitism. I'm envisioning something to help the content improve without putting any pressure on anyone to change, it would be completely voluntary. But even then, I can't imagine how it would take form without the dangers I'm worried about, without people being seen as lesser, without elitism and cliques separating "good" posters from "s**t" posters. Posters who create good content and posters who are a net loss to the forum and need to be eliminated. And who the hell even gets to decide what is good content and what is not? I obviously have my own idea and so does Walrus and I'm sure so do most people reading this, but trying to promote that as the standard to follow for everyone, even if done with the best of intentions, I don't see how it could work, or even how it could not come off as arrogant.

There are so many threads and posts here which just wouldn't be allowed to exist and nor would the poster in that other place. People don't seem to hate each other here and seem to respect their right to have a differing opinion. And having seen what the opposite of that looks like, I think that is a precious thing.