FFS what is it with all the gay bashing, women bashing, benefits bashing, public sector bashing etc threads lately!

[TheFeministsWife]

Starting to get right on my tits they are. Have some schools broken up super early? They're clogging up my bloody screen! I don't even bother replying. So to all you wankers who have nothing better to do than piss people off for fun eff off go on off you go.

[JudysJudgement]

would be boring if everyone agreed :)

[worraliberty]

Just what we need. Another poster who thinks they're the board police.

[thumbwitch]

Well I was going to say it's the influx of Daily Fail readers but your OP was so offputting I won't bother - have a instead.

[JoySzasz]

I haven't seen any of these threads

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726]

And in the absence of any at the top of the page, you'll start one, OP, that covers them all... how odd.

[Pumpernickel10]

I am surprised your so surprised op that's what forums are about,if you don't like the thread simply hide it :) simples

[sunshineandbooks]

I think OP has a point - albeit perhaps not presented in the best way.

There is definitely an influx of minority-bashing threads going on ATM (except the women-bashing ones, as women are actually half the population of course). There is definitely a sense that DM type attitudes are sweeping through the board. It's ok to hide them, but for those who cannot let bigotry and prejudice go unchallenged because they feel to do so is condoning it, it can become very tedious to see these threads all the time. Plus it also tends to get posters into combative mood, so that they post rather different replies than they would otherwise, which can sometimes make MN feel much more aggressive than it really is at times.

Sometimes you have to remind yourself that it's MN, not PMQs in order to keep calm.

[MixedClassBaby]

It's cos the anti-Christ has risen in the form of David Cameron.

[M0naLisa]

Because Mners having nothing else to talk about.

[Mumswang]

Divide and conquer [knowing nod]

[bubblecoral]

I don't think there have been minority bashing threads.

Talking about them is not the same as bashing them.

And if people didn't choose to talk about those things on a public chat board, then they wouldn't last very long. Thankfully, we live in a country where we have freedom of speech.

[LDNmummy]

I haven't seen any gay bashing, link please? Otherwise, I think it depends on the debate, some are indeed simply bashing but some are genuine debate.

[sunshineandbooks]

bubble I don't think OP is objecting so much to what's being said on those threads once they're going as much as she is objecting to the posting of the thread in the first place IYSWIM. Some are very obviously posted just to be inflammatory.

[SpringchickenGoldBrass]

There's always been a certain amount of 'Bwaaah! Flat screen TVs! Grrr, the proles have too many children! Waaaaail wot about the menz?' but it is a bit excessive at the moment.

[TheMagnificentBathykolpian]

I like such kinds of threads. The bigotted OP generally gets a kicking, and people spend time explaining exactly why their views are repugnant.

So they send a message that most mners find bigotry disgusting, and anyone who holds, erm, questionable views out of ignorance rather than maliciousness has the opportunity to be challenged and perhaps even educated and may even change their views.

Whereas if we try to pretend that offensive views don't exist, and never challenge them and just delete them and try to wipe them from the board so we can stick our fingers in our ears while we laa-laa-laa and pretend that we live in fluffy bunny land where everyone is nice and kind and good... nothing stands a chance of changing.

[sunshineandbooks]

There's always been a certain amount of 'Bwaaah! Flat screen TVs! Grrr, the proles have too many children! Waaaaail wot about the menz?' but it is a bit excessive at the moment.

Loving this accurate and succinct summation!

[somethingwitty82]

Reflective of our current political climate? Externalization of fear of dying of poverty in the street with only the the warming piss of the Bullingdon club to keep cold bones from aching?

Or perhaps saying what they have always felt but the have felt awkward breaking the awkward liberal love in?

I blame the end of x factor

[LadyBeagleEyes]

I agree with The Magnificent.
I've never seen any of these type of threads ending up without the poster crawling back where they belong.
Which is why Mumsnet is my favourite forum.

[Glitterknickaz]

It's actually quite repellent to see that some regard common decency as a liberal love in.

The fact some don't give a shit about the impact their bile has on human beings isn't something to be proud of. It does make me wonder what is happening to humankind.

Discussion is ok. Sweeping generalisations and calling benefits claimants names is not. Calling for euthanasia of posters' children is also unacceptable.

Yet it is tolerated here.

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726]

Complete tosh. If you want to stop these threads and posters then you IGNORE them, ignore them completely and they'll go away because you've deprived them of the oxygen of attention that they crave.

I don't understand why some posters keep going back and back to threads just to labour the same point again and again. All is does is wind them up and bring the thread back to the top of the page. Stupid is as stupid does.

[Glitterknickaz]

If someone was posting lies about your family would you just sit back and let people believe it or would you challenge it?

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726]

Glitterknickaz... Firstly, how can somebody post lies about your family? How do they get that information?

Secondly, if somebody has that information and is mean enough to use it, do you really think that challenging them will stop them doing it? They obviously mean to hurt, which is why they do it. It's sport to them and means pain for you and anybody else so affected.

I've seen posters in great distress, posting back and forth on the same threads trying to get a message across that will be ignored. I wonder why they do that, all it does is let other people know that a) it bothers you and b) that they can get a rise from you anytime they like because some posters will give too much detail about personal circumstances and it's used as a weapon by those who enjoy tormenting others.

I'm not trying to stop you, Glitter or anyone, I'm just posting my view that I think you'd protect yourself from hurt far better by not giving these people the dignity of your response.

[TheMagnificentBathykolpian]

My worry, fear if you like, about ignoring repugnant views is that the holders tend to use silence as evidence that people agree with them.

I've seen it in real life. Someone comes out with a great big pile of shit and it goes unchallenged. They think they're right / they've won / you agree. It's the same when someone bitches about someone else in your presence. If you don't speak up against them, they think you're in agreement.

If you don't speak up when someone says something disgusting, I fear that they think you agree. People need to be pulled up, imo. I just feel we always need to say "Hang on, what the actual fuck are you talking about."

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726]

I understand your point MagnificientBathykolpian and if you were dealing with rational, decent people who have just got the wrong end of the stick somewhere, I'd agree with you. Somebody who just wants to 'have a pop' understands the issues perfectly, they have to understand them in order to say just the right barbed thing.

My rationale is around 'thread killing'. Posters really get concerned that they've killed a thread when nobody replies. It's quite uncomfortable to feel ignored, especially in a high traffic area. My point is, the people that use information as ammunition should feel uncomfortable, they should be made to feel that their posts aren't worth responding to because they're beneath contempt. That's what they should feel - ignored and despised.

It is difficult, it really is. To post or not to post?