Why do we have a PPR forum?

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It seems like we have a whole section of WP that is just a section of the internet where bickering children can just vent

WP says it is a family friendly site
and I have seen many examples of that promise being kept

(Kudos to the moderators!)

But I found myself on the PPR forum

and then I thought

"What the hell am I doing here?"

PPR doesn't add anything to the WP community
It divides us against ourselves

It's extraneous, irrelevant and a pox on WP!

I've only posted a couple of times in the PPR section, though I'm sure I'll make more use of it in due course, as those issues interest me a great deal.

Quite honestly, I do not find the robust, and occasionally aggressive, exchange of views which can take place there, to be particularly undesirable. There would be something wrong if these topics did not generate a fair bit of heat, as well as light, and it should be no surprise that people of an aspie disposition, with a tendency towards "black and white" thinking, should interact in this way.

I would feel no personal animosity towards a person who emphatically, or even a little abusively, disagreed with a position I might take on a political or religious issue, and would hope that might apply both ways.

I would prefer it if someone described a view of mine as "idiotic", rather than calling me an "idiot" for holding it, but it wouldn't necessarily be that big a deal, if he or she gave interesting reasons for saying so. On the other hand, insults containing obscenities, or making demeaning references to a person's ethnic origins, or a disability, should not be acceptable.

I regularly read and participate in the "Comment" section of the Daily Telegraph, a supposedly "quality" British newspaper, and believe me the stuff in the WP PPR section is very moderate compared to some of that!

I think that removal of comments and locking of threads should not occur as frequently as they do, by the way.

Well, IIRC PPR came about as a dumping ground for threads that got out of hand in the News forum, and developed its own subculture over time. It is different than the other forums in that it is specifically a debate forum and not a support one, so the rules are enforced a bit differently in there, and you kind of need to know going in that you're going to be challenged on your beliefs, and be prepared to defend them.

PPR is my favorite part of the web site. Most of my posts have been to that forum. I appreciate that the rules are enforced a little differently there and that b.s. does not go unchallenged.

You'd rather have the PPR posts mixed in with the general forum? I doubt people would stop posting about politics philosophy and religion just because we got rid of the specific forum.

A lot of people have posted quality discussions in that part of the forum, but like anywhere on the internet, you have to deal the folk who just don't know how to have an intelligent conversation without getting angry. Or people who add their two cents knowing nothing about the topic at hand short of an article they read on the internet. Even if you have to read ignorance you still can learn something from someone who replies to it with knowledge, unfortunately, some cannot.

I'd rather consolidate it to it's own forum because I have no desire to hear some half-wit opinion on why obama wants our guns in the main autism forum.

I would say put an age restriction on it Alex.

Though that may not curb some of the immaturity (and lack of insight into posts) in there.

with much respect, I disagree
As a support group, WP has to have as it's first priority people who are in pain!
...

there is nothing more painfull than being ignorred!

OH!

Got it!

I never understood why there is a news and a politics section. In many cases it the same thing.

In some perhaps, but certainly not all, and PPR does include philosophy and religion in addition to politics, which are not exactly related to news.

Oh! Finally got it!
It's a confinement and containment strategy

better there than everywhere!

People that like it can go there,
people that don't can avoid it like hell

I wish that Philosophy was kept separate from Politics and Religion, because it is a rational, intellectual topic where people are calm. P and R, on the other hand, are a veritable free-for-all of bias, personal attack and even malevolence.

Alex would you consider having P&R as one category
and
could Philosophy be placed in with Comp, Maths, Sci, and Tech .... because there the discussions are very civilized and intellectual.

I think people will feel more comfortable discussing Philosophy away from the hostile PPR category.

Thanks, Alex.

Religion is the one that needs separating out, if anything. Occasionally someone will wade in asking for autistic members of their faith.

There are many rational, intelligent discussions in the PPR forum (although often only one side is particularly intelligent). In the other forums (including the Science forum - which is actually mostly about computers), there is rarely any attempt at intellectual rigour. A PPR thread on vaccines or evolution or climate change or gun control or the teleological argument (interestingly most of those aren't political, philosophical or religious topics) will usually have someone substantiating their views, whereas that seems to be mostly opposed in other forums.

How are people, especially Autistic people just supposed to know this? Rules need to be explicitly spelled out, especially if standards vary by section.. How does a website for Autistics not follow this most basic Autistic friendly policy? I can understand why there is a need for section(s) that "let people be stupid" or let people say anything. But there needs to be a bunch of trigger warnings for these sections. On other hand people need to know they need to be mindful and what that exactly entails when they post in a section for sensitive people/people in a sensitive state.

^ It says so right in the guidelines: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt204613.html
And besides, doesn't everyone know that politics and religion don't make for calm discussions? There is a good reason why the saying discourages to bring up either topic.