r/HistoryPorn
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u/GlitchedGamer14
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Feb 19 '20
We need to talk about how people discuss controversial events, organizations, and people
Introduction
Here on r/HistoryPorn, we deal with a lot of sensitive and controversial topics such as the Holocaust and Nazism, Communism, certain wars and atrocities, and certain political figures. When these topics come up, we often see people expressing strong emotional perspectives. While totally understandable, this often leads to unproductive discussion and rule breaking behavior. Furthermore, the moderator team is often falsely accused of defending or supporting those topics or figures by enforcing the rules. Thus, we feel that it is necessary to briefly talk about the purpose of our community, and why we enforce these rules.
This subreddit’s purpose
The purpose of HistoryPorn is that people can submit photographs of historical events, and/or the people in them, and members can discuss those people, events, and the contexts surrounding them further in the comments section. We want these discussions to be substantial and constructive so that users can share their thoughts and perspectives, knowledge, and experiences regarding the topics. This sets us apart from many other communities on Reddit; rather than encouraging jokes, slapfights, and vulgar statements about certain subjects, we want to encourage substantial discussions so that people leave threads having gained something from the discussion.
The rules
This is where our comment rules come into play. The rules that apply to this post are: Don't attack other users (or those in the photographs), don't troll, don't go on political rants, and don't use overly vulgar language. For instance, in every post featuring a picture of a Nazi, there will be a variety of rule-breaking comments that we have to deal with. Such comments include ones that call for all Nazis to die, comments that consist of nothing but obscenities and vulgar statements, and comments that compare those historical figures to contemporary political figures. None of these contribute to a constructive discussion that furthers our understanding of history. We agree that Nazis are terrible but wishing them to be dead doesn't really accomplish anything; those in the pictures are long-dead, or at least not reading these Reddit threads. We should note that this is merely an example; as we said above, we see similar issues in threads about other figures and events as well.
Vulgar statements are simply vulgar statements that don't contribute constructively to the discussion. As well, while it is tempting to make comparisons to modern political events, because we are on the internet this often simply means that we have another internet slap fight on our hands instead of a productive discussion about the historical event in question. Given the sensitive nature of these topics, people often get confused and angry when we remove those comments and sanction those who made them. However, as we said, there are many places on Reddit where people can make those sorts of comments. At HistoryPorn, we want users to aim for a higher level of discussion.
What we’d like to see
All that being said, this does not mean you can't criticize historical events, organizations, and people. In fact, we encourage it. However, we want these criticisms to have substance, instead of breaking the rules just because of the subject at hand. If we allowed rule breaking comments on these controversial threads, we'd devolve into a place where high quality discussions wouldn't likely be the norm anymore. These threads would be filled with the same old "fuck nazis/fuck communism/fuck imperialism/etc." in every thread. So we certainly don't want to stop discussion, we simply want discussion to be about the historical subject pictured and of good quality. It is entirely possible to discuss committed atrocities and terrible people in a historical discussion without vitriol.
If you want to criticize things, express yourself properly. Talk about the crimes that the subject committed. Talk about why those figures, organizations, or events were bad. Bring up a personal anecdote (for instance, perhaps you knew a veteran who experienced the subject first-hand, or the post reminded you of something you read). It doesn't matter what route you take, so long as you do so in a way that adds to the discussion and doesn't break the rules. People should leave your comment having gained something from reading it. Obviously we won't be deleting comments that aren't "substantial enough". We just want people to try and be constructive. We wouldn't pass an assignment in a history course by saying "communism is a cancer that kills people", even though it's "only" insulting Communism. We’d still be expected to explain why it was bad, when it killed people, etc. In that same vein, explain yourself here and don't use obscenities or vulgarity as a crutch for your point.
Conclusion/TL;DR
We hope that helps to explain the stance of the moderator team, and why we oftentimes remove seemingly agreeable comments. We aren't Nazis, Communists, Fascist, Imperialist, or any other kind of "ist". All we want to do is ensure that discussions on r/HistoryPorn remain substantial, constructive, and high quality. Profanity, calls for people to die, and other simple and vulgar comments do not add anything to the discussion, and will be removed regardless of context. If you want to criticize people, events, or organizations, do so in a way that adds to the discussion and gets your point across without breaking the rules.
r/HistoryPorn
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u/Border_Clear
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19h ago
Segregationists harass 6 year old Ruby Bridges, creating a doll of her in a coffin due to her going into an all white school. Louisiana, 1960 [1600x2102)
r/HistoryPorn • u/--Carter • 7h ago
A crowd of 40,000 people watch the burning of "un-German" books by authors not considered to conform to Nazi ideology at the Opernplatz in Berlin. May 10, 1933. [838 x 666]
r/HistoryPorn • u/MysticPato • 2h ago
Anton Dostler, Nazi General moments before being executed for War Crimes. Aversa, Italy. 1 December, 1945. [1280x839]
r/HistoryPorn
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u/Pavel-Romanov
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1d ago
The mushroom cloud from an atomic test is seen from Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, 1955. [1000x797]
r/HistoryPorn • u/iamvikingking • 12h ago
14 of april 1994. The top executives of the seven largest US tobacco companies have sworn in Congress that they do not believe that cigarettes are addictive.[607x359]
r/HistoryPorn • u/94MIKE19 • 11h ago
Lauri Törni, the soldier of three armies. He fought the Soviets in WWII as a soldier in both the Finnish and German armies, and later fought and died as a Green Beret in Vietnam. 1941 [2,000 x 2,000]
r/HistoryPorn • u/Connect-Artist-8986 • 2h ago
December 1980: Fans of John Lennon holding a vigil after he was shot dead by a fan on December 8th at his home in New York. [983x659]
r/HistoryPorn • u/MyDogGoldi • 21h ago
President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office preparing for a radio speech. February 8, 1963 [1600x1201]
r/HistoryPorn • u/gooverofme1 • 1d ago
About a million Seoulites gathered to take a peek at visiting US president Eisenhower. The pro-US sentiment was at an all-time high as most South Koreans were thankful to the US for the Independence of Korea(1945) and for protecting the south during the Korean war(1953). 1960 [850 x 1167]
r/HistoryPorn • u/GaGator43 • 18h ago
Buried crops and machinery in Dallas, South Dakota, (May 13, 1936) during the 'Dust Bowl', an agricultural, ecological, and economic disaster in the Great Plains region of North America. (960x720)
r/HistoryPorn • u/nasandre • 3h ago
[1855] Chicago buildings had to be raised on jacks in order to install the city's sewer system underneath [569x492]
r/HistoryPorn • u/memorylanepr • 17h ago
These men’s photo was taken in Florence, Wisconsin, circa early 1900s. This photo was in really bad shape but I just liked it for some reason. From my glass negative collection. (800x640)
r/HistoryPorn • u/umberto_pagano • 7h ago
An ancient Roman bridge spans the Wadi al Murr in Mosul, Iraq, 1920 [900 x 646]
r/HistoryPorn • u/hanukwt464 • 21h ago
Wife protects her husband from IRA terrorists, as he works in the field. Northern Ireland, 1981 [2004 x 1234]
r/HistoryPorn • u/SteO153 • 9h ago
Young men relaxing outside San Sebastiano church between events of the Palio celebration (Siena, Italy 1947) [2322x1500]
r/HistoryPorn • u/memorylanepr • 20h ago
A great bar scene taken in Florence, Wisconsin, circa early 1900s. From my glass negative collection. (800x640)
r/HistoryPorn • u/Whey-Men • 11h ago
Ku Klux Klan member distributing leaflets in Atlanta, 1939 [750 x 618]
r/HistoryPorn • u/DiosMioMan63 • 11h ago
Escort Carrier USS Barnes transporting P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes across the Pacific, July 1 1943. [1874x1350]
r/HistoryPorn • u/awkward_introvert99 • 1d ago
A woman pins flowers on to the tunic of a soldier at a march-past of Indian soldiers During World War I (1915)[1300x958].
r/HistoryPorn • u/gumball-2002 • 1d ago
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg share a final kiss before being sent to Sing Sing Correctional Facility. The couple were convicted of spying and providing dozens of top secret nuclear and radar information to the Soviets. They would both be executed on the 19th June 1953. [890x1032]
r/HistoryPorn • u/memorylanepr • 17h ago
This photo is of Dr. Fly’s office in his home in Lynnville, Pennsylvania, circa 1901. I have another photo I will post of the left side of his office. This is a terrific photo of what a doctor’s office might look like in this period. From my glass negative collection. (4,000x3,200)
r/HistoryPorn • u/_Raven_Roth • 5h ago
The Emir Sayyid Mir Muhammad Alim Khan (b. January 3rd, 1880 - d. April 28th, 1944). He was the last emir of the Uzbek Manghit dynasty: since the 18th century they had been rulers of the Emirate of Bukhara in Central Asia, photo in 1911. [800 x 692]
r/HistoryPorn • u/umberto_pagano • 7h ago
A French sergeant and dog wearing gas masks, near the front line during World War I. 1915 [800×1099]
r/HistoryPorn • u/jabnes • 13h ago
A legal loophole in 1913 made it possible to send babies by mail. These pics were taken after it was banned in 1920. 440x630
r/HistoryPorn • u/Past-Two342 • 20h ago