If I say Mumsnet attracts a certain type of person?

[poptothetop]

Let me start of by saying that I've been on quite a few other forums and the opinion/views of them are a lot different/ diverse.

Things most MN members seem to agree on:

Ear piercing views

Schooling views

Baby showers (haven't actually come across a MNetter who hasn't labelled them grabby).

If I were to mention these subjects elsewhere, the comments would be a lot more diverse and lenient.

So, AIBU to say Mumsnet attracts a certain type of person (overall)?

Whether that's because of social class or personality, I can't decide. It's interesting to see what you all think

[poptothetop]

Eat a fake but fabulously time consuming world

[refereerendum]

Er, Mumsnet agrees on schooling? Are you accessing some parallel site???

[FastWindow]

arf I'm now in the position of thinking about whether or not to disagree with you on principle because I agree with you

[poptothetop]

Arf those subjects are picky but my point is that on other sites, for example, you'll have a LOT of people saying you're doing the right thing by piercing a child's ears early on etc etc but I've never seen that here on MN, if someone dared to say that, they'd be up against 100 to 1.

[GrouchyKiwi]

I like baby showers. For first babies. They're normal for NZ.

What are the Mumsnet Schooling views?

[leopardspice]

I have views on particular "goady" subjects within mumsnet which I just avoid when I read an op about them. I know my view will probably rile what is the 'status quo' so I just move on to another. I am so uninterested in getting involved in a bun fight

[Pinkheart5915]

I don't think mumsnet represents real life, it can be an odd place

Some threads about things like feeding a child sugar or wedding gifts always end in bun fights.

I shop at waitrose, but love baby showers/weddings, don't mind giving cash gifts in fact I like it, when ds is old enough who cares about a bit of sugar, don't mind ears being pierced I have mine down about age 8, I have a cleaner and bloody hate the idea of a moon cup.

[NikiSaintPhalle]

I think Mn is dominated by lower middle-class attitudes, if that's what you mean. That's in part why so many posters are relatively class-conscious, while often denying that they are (or possibly genuinely unaware that they are?) and interested in discussions of class markers. And why the baby names forum, with its shrieky counter-accusations of 'Try hard!' and 'Chav!', gets so vitriolic.

[Sparklesilverglitter]

I do agree to a point OP. I don't think it represents real life I think many people from say things on here they wouldn't in real life.

It does give me a few laughs when people have bun fights over a child having a coco pop or sweet.

I won't care if my DD has sugar, I don't get the attraction to moon cups, I don't understand dress a baby is only -boring- White plain baby grows, I shop in waitrose, I have a cleaner, I bloody enjoy a baby shower for the 1st baby or the 4th.

[Ilovenannyplum]

I had a baby shower. I'm not grabby.

[poptothetop]

Ahh! That's what I missed in my original post.

I have never seen anyone use the word 'Hun' on here and I rarely see anyone with shockingly bad/poor grammar. I never have trouble reading any of the posts, they're all standard English. The same cannot be said for other parenting sites.

Oh, and seeing someone say 'lol' of add 'xxxxx' at the end of a sentence is also rarely seen

[TattyCat]

YANBU. It does. And it's funny. Most threads leave me bewildered but I just laugh at how the majority get their knickers in a twist about nothing.

[NikiSaintPhalle]

But you know, a lot of sites are all ur bubba ur rulz hun

Admittedly, I've never once been on the much-derided Netmums, but from everything that gets said about it on here, isn't it fair to say that the governing 'culture' of Netmums is more unapologetically working-class, versus the basically lower-middle-class (with-some-middle-middles-and above) Mumsnet?

[Batboobs]

When you come on here you can be who you want to be, I think that's all it boils down to. There are themes and in jokes peculiar to this forum, and you find that is the case with most forums. I take mostly everything with a pinch of salt, you never know if people are who they say they are behind the username.

[MidnightVelvetthe5th]

To a point yes, MN as a site often leans towards the left politically & some things are just Things That Are Done, such as:

• Ignoring benefit fraud & telling anyone with their own legitimate concerns to ignore it as well
  
• Assuming that smoking mother all smoke 1 cigarette per day & the one that you witness must be the only one & is therefore OK
  
• Going NC with family members is easily done
  
• Likewise leaving the bastard
  
  etc :) the benefit fraud one sticks in my mind as I read a thread once where a poster had concerns that a family member was committing fraud & fuck me were they flamed on here! Go over to Netmums & its all 'I hope you get what's coming to you' & 'I hope they come after you' etc. On here the poster who is expressing the concern is the criminal!
  
  Its not representative of real life no, but I can guarantee that if you are a woman in need of help or even just understanding, then its still an amazing source of support (as long as you post in the right area)

[Dachshund]

I think the standard writing and lack of text speak is just how this forum operates and doesn't say too much about its users.

It's the same on other forums I go on - PopJustice for example - you'll actually get banned there for not using proper grammar! I think it makes comprehension much easier for posters who don't speak English as their first language.

As for the posters, well mumsnet was set up by 2 white middle class women and although it has grown to include a huge plethora of posters outside of that point of reference I do think that's the majority of posters' backgrounds. Hence the class focus, the cleaner dilemmas and the school/food angst.

[gingerbreadmanm]

I dont think im the typical 'social class' of mn but i tend to agree with a lot of things here. Feel mn educates me on a lot of things and i love that its not kisses hugs huns apart from where essential.

[PurpleHatt]

Niki Admittedly, I've never once been on the much-derided Netmums, but from everything that gets said about it on here, isn't it fair to say that the governing 'culture' of Netmums is more unapologetically working-class, versus the basically lower-middle-class (with-some-middle-middles-and above) Mumsnet?

Totally agree with this. I was born lower working class and I now inhabit a very middle class world. On NM I can absolutely see the world I used to live in and on MN I can see the world I live in now. I feel like an outsider in both worlds but I find myself agreeing much more with stuff on MN. Old school friends I tend to think 'you're definitely a NMer' and newer friends from work I tend to think 'you're definitely a MNer'.

[ijustwannadance]

I also think it depends on the subject matter and which topic the posts are in.

The nearest waitrose to me is bloody miles away. Working class area.

[KateLivesInEngland]

I organised my friends baby showers ... But I'm still here!

I do agree in general though, I've been very close to deleting the app a couple of times because it's just full of fake nutters. The perfect parenting gets me, so few will admit failings and their reality even though this is all anonymous. Weird!