My initial hunch is, that it could be a good idea in principle, though I wonder how it would ultimately pan out.
Perhaps a section called “sidebar?” Or, I think it’s been suggested before, if replies/subreplies can be within a collapsible arrow?
Honestly, I sometimes find the heated discussions entertaining, if anything. I just get discouraged when it’s in the midst of the main forum, and can derail, or distract.
Alternatively, before someone posts something, maybe there can be a prompt/reminder that any and all posts need to adhere to the purpose of PT, which is to foster community. And if their post does not reflect that intent, that it can be deleted at anytime. My definition of that is, if a post comes across as trying to prove a point; write in a “me vs. you” tone; speculates another person’s intelligence; etc. I’m actually not heavily offended by it (we’re all human), but it’s more that it’s distracting and derails the conversation 🙂
Ultimately, the fact that you bring this up in this thread though, is encouraging to me, and suggests the majority of PT users have a unified goal in mind, which is to keep things civil and community-oriented. Even if there’s subtle disagreements on what that precisely means, it’s nonetheless a positive thing to strive for it.