One thing a forum could try for dealing with ‘hot button’ issues would be to provide a space where people could describe their experiences and be listened to. For it to be effective there would need to be an indication that the listeners were taking in what they heard. The same forum could also have a category for more rule-based discussions, where, for example personal attacks and straw-man arguments would not be tolerated. Maybe doing something like this could help lift the tone without directly policing it.
4 Likes