What if we *did* get rid of P&R?
- Thread starter knapplc
- Start date
Decked
Active member
What’s the point of anything outside of Nebraska sports/recruiting/big ten/other sports threads then?
JJ Husker
Donor
I think this place may need the P&R forum for the foreseeable future. When football finally gets cancelled sometime this month, people are going to need something to bicker, argue and talk about. The will there be a 21-22 football season thread isn’t going to carry the load this time around.
Ulty
New member
I think the P&R forum is a very valuable part of this site. HB is an online community where the members have something very strong in common with each other, our Husker fandom. When people have something in common, they sometimes like to discuss other things, and there is a bit of comfort and safety in discussing say, recipes, politics, or miscellaneous BS with another Husker fan as opposed to a random stranger who we have nothing in common with.
The P&R forum and other non-football forums give a place to find and direct these conversations. We see what happens in the "will there be a 2020 season" thread when we allow politics to bleed into what started as a football conversation. It is an absolute trainwreck. The separation, and the outlet, seems necessary.
The P&R forum and other non-football forums give a place to find and direct these conversations. We see what happens in the "will there be a 2020 season" thread when we allow politics to bleed into what started as a football conversation. It is an absolute trainwreck. The separation, and the outlet, seems necessary.
Enhance
Administrator
Well said, @Ulty.
I like the concept of the P&R forum in general even though I'm not an overly active participant. Although we usually give deference to this being a Husker sports site at its core, I think it's generally a good thing to have some other outlets for conversation among a group of people that have at least one primary similar interest.
The only problem with P&R isn't really with the forum itself. P&R tends to be a far more visceral and intensely personal experience. It feels like this has caused people to have shorter fuses and less of a willingness to have honest debate, but that's not just a Huskerboard issue. That seems to be a world issue. It has always been a problem with P&R discussions in general but it seems to have become more commonplace in recent years, almost like you can reach out and touch the friction.
I like the concept of the P&R forum in general even though I'm not an overly active participant. Although we usually give deference to this being a Husker sports site at its core, I think it's generally a good thing to have some other outlets for conversation among a group of people that have at least one primary similar interest.
The only problem with P&R isn't really with the forum itself. P&R tends to be a far more visceral and intensely personal experience. It feels like this has caused people to have shorter fuses and less of a willingness to have honest debate, but that's not just a Huskerboard issue. That seems to be a world issue. It has always been a problem with P&R discussions in general but it seems to have become more commonplace in recent years, almost like you can reach out and touch the friction.
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JJ Husker
Donor
Yep, it is a reflection of society and not any indictment against Huskerboard. P&R talk is by nature confrontational, and especially so at this time in history. It is already disallowed from the rest of the board. With the issues we are facing, anybody that can’t handle the inevitable crossover talk is being a snowflake imo. It’s pretty easy to avoid the P&R forum for anyone so inclined. If they can’t, they just aren’t sharp enough to pull their hand out of the flame.
The Dude
New member
Another message board I used to frequent dropped their political subforum in 2016. Any post veering into politics now is promptly deleted. I was strongly opposed to the idea at the time, and in principle I suppose I still am. That being said, the overall tone of the board improved dramatically.
Enhance
Administrator
Thanks for sharing this. I've always been interested in how other non-political boards have handled politics.
I personally am still glad we put the kibosh on political talk outside of P&R. We've had very, very few issues pop up outside of P&R since that happened. Political contentiousness has only gotten worse in recent years and I imagine that would've had a significantly negative impact on the board if we had just allowed more of a free range approach to politics.
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RedDenver
New member
Interesting. Did the number of posts or posters increase/decrease?
Personally, I'd probably spend a lot less time on this board if P&R went away. But if it improved the tone of the rest of the board, I might spend more time in other forums. I don't think the tone or discussion of Pelini for example, would get any better though.
knapplc
Active member
Interesting.
I wonder if it would be beneficial to take a break from P&R as a board. Say, two weeks, or a month. Do it in September, so if people really want it back, we'd have time to talk about the November elections still.
Undone
New member
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The Dude
New member
I honestly don't know. If I had to guess I'd say it didn't make a significant difference in traffic one way or another. It had a lot of traffic beforehand, and still does.
I was thinking that about heated football discussions as well. Husker fans are as passionate about their Huskers as they are pretty much anything. Politics includes.
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Mierin
Donor
I imagine people would just talk politics in the Misc BS forum. Unless it was banned.
It would suck for me 'cause I kinda vent here instead of being annoying on FB. I mean... I talk to a few people about politics too, but I don't think they want to hear from me as much as post here.
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