When using any other thread on the boards, people are generally respectful, helpful, and polite (for the most part). Every single post in player behavior however is always filled with the absolute most toxic people on the boards and no proper or respectful conversation EVER seems to come from here.
I agree with you, to an extent
I've visited here regularly for about 2½ years.
I started out SUPER toxic, I couldn't sympathize with anyone. But now I'm actively trying my hardest to not do that anymore. I try to empathize and explain rationally how the system works.
But a lot of other people seemingly don't do that. Over the years, very few regulars have stuck out to me as not being rude, and a few of them even began transitioning to being toxic.
I guess the simplest explanation is that the regulars get into discussions that turn sour. When a new thread appears, they can't separate their previous heated discussions from new ones. Their default becomes toxic over time.
On PB we've made kind of a culture. It's no longer really about helping those who come with questions, but about garnering upvotes and respect from your PB friends. The culture is ingrained deeply. I even feel some of the mods have this. They post snarky comments that are unhelpful and in some cases will turn away people from asking questions in the future..
HOWEVER, I don't think we should remove PB. I don't like how loosely moderated the forum is. I understand that they're volunteers and human, and make mistakes. But I feel like they don't even try to be examples of how a good regular should be.
But this doesn't mean PB is useless. Sometimes good things come from PB. Players have interesting discussions, or someone gets a proper explanation which they're thankful for. Even through the years and the toxic times of me being here, the most memorable moments have always been when I've helped someone and they thanked me. Likewise, I really have taken note of when someone actually managed to make me see the picture through their eyes.
The few good moments heavily outweigh the bad. Of course, that's just my opinion and all. These good moments come more often when no one is super upset, which is why I'm now no actively trying to be positive.
I'm sorry if this was hard to read, I just wanted to write my thoughts. I didn't really organize them that well.
Every single post in player behavior however is always filled with the absolute most toxic people on the boards and no proper or respectful conversation EVER seems to come from here.
First; hyperbole helps nothing. There is ample respectful discussion, and it's just plain nonsense to say that Player Behavior is "always filled with the most toxic people on the boards".
Second, if you do see someone being toxic on PB (anywhere on the boards, for that matter), you can report them and the Moderation team will act appropriately to the situation.
Following that, third is that - like with people's assertion that Riot should "just remove the chat feature" - one shouldn't just completely get rid of something just because a few bad eggs decide to misbehave in it.
And, fourth; having the Player Behavior boards is kind of a necessity, since there's not really any other place it'd be appropriate to discuss punishments, individual player behavior, or the player behavior systems as a whole. Where else do you expect us to discuss the IFS or the Honor System, or where do you expect people to go when they want to inquire about their punishment? RANT? GD?
A lot of the toxicity in the boards can be seen here. One person in this thread, Ooduwa, uses toxic hyperbole. People respond with their dander up. Ooduwa continues to troll, and the situation escalates as it feeds on itself.
Be calm and civil. If the other person isn't willing to do the same, report them and move on. It's not worth getting worked up over.
I really do take this personally. I hope you're not referring to me.
Regardless, please please report posts you feel are being disrespectful, unhelpful, or otherwise don't belong. If you have to, go talk to the moderators in the discord. They're very helpful and will either fix it or explain why they aren't removing it.
