To ask what people mean by "A reverse"

[wasonthelist]

I've been posting on here for years but occasionally I see people posting saying a thread is "a reverse" as if it's part of the MN folklore. What does it actually mean?

[ImperialBlether]

It's where someone posts from the other person's point of view, eg a poster might say "AIBU to leave my suitcase lying in the hall for three months" and argue the toss, when all the time the poster is the mother who is demented by the bloody suitcase.

[ImperialBlether]

Some posts are so ridiculous that people will ask whether it's a reverse, because they can't see anyone thinking they're reasonable with the stance given. It's usually in AIBU.

[Oysterbabe]

So someone posts:
I'm going to let my 2 year old play grand theft auto all day. I think it's fine, aibu?
Everyone says "hell fucking yeah you are being unreasonable, burn in hell"
OP says "actually it's my husband that thinks it's fine, I think he's being unreasonable and I'm going to show him this thread."

Make sense?

[bombayflambe]

It means that the poster is telling the story from the opposite viewpoint to see if this gets different replies:
example:

1. I'm getting married this summer. We haven't booked a honeymoon but lots of guests are asking what we'd like so we've told them money please. If we're expecting 100 guests dare I book a honeymoon costing £1000? Most people give a tenner at least don't they? It seems awful expecting, but so many people have offered if we don't book something we'll spend it on bills and house stuff and miss out on treating ourselves. Very excited!!
   
2. We've been invited to a family wedding. Apparently they want money for their honeymoon. They've just bought a house and they have no kids and good jobs. WIBU to tell them we can't go because we can't afford it?
   
   ...would garner very different replies. Some people don't like reverses because they like to match their replies to the asker rather than the question. I quite like them.