Wtf mumsnet?

[BernardBlacksHangover]

What is going on with MNHQ ATM?

I reported two racist posts, (one including a personal attack), this morning and it took so long for MNHQ to finally remove them. Then MNHQ removed my post where I'd told the poster that their comment "was a generalisation about x race" and that they'd also personally attacked another poster. That's literally all I said, along with a face. I asked MNHQ why they'd removed my post and they said it was a "bit goady".

Have the talk guidelines changed? Is calling a racist comment a racist comment not allowed now?

Seriously miffed, long time user here. Emails now being ignored despite speedy enough response to my initial "why did my post get removed?"

[BernardBlacksHangover]

Same here anecdoche!

[BernardBlacksHangover]

The only thing I can think is that they didn't think that the other poster's comments were racist. But then why would they remove them? And also, they were racist. Not vaguely, pretty openly racist imo.

[MrsDoylesTeabags]

Welcome to mumsnet. The place where racism isn't a thing

[BernardBlacksHangover]

Careful MrsDoyle, that face might be interpreted as goady

[BernardBlacksHangover]

The other thing they said was "the thread has got back on track at least". It's all a bit weird tbh. MNHQ used to be all over racist / disablist / sexism / bigoted remarks. Now it's "oh well, not to worry. Now it looks like everyone's playing nicely so that's just splendid". Ugh. Feel like I'm on you know where.

[Ttbb]

Are you sure it was racism? A lot if people see completely inocuous comments/typos as racist.

[YetAnotherHelenMumsnet]

Hi there BernardBlacksHangover,

We're sorry that we didn't get to the reports as quickly as you might have liked but just for clarity on this new thread we have your reports listed on our system at 11.18am and the posts (one of which made a generalisation about attitudes to daughters in law that included some Asian mothers in law and the other that made a generalisation that included some Irish mothers in law) you refer to were gone by midday.

We did delete two of your 15 posts as well as we did think they were goady and having checked them again we do stand by that. Once again, we apologise for not having got to the posts you mention as smartly as we would have liked.

[BernardBlacksHangover]

Well I don't know now... maybe it wasn't racist. I'd love to repeat the comment verbatim, but imagine that would get deleted.

It was along the lines of "you (other poster) remind me of the [insert race] women who do this..." (it wasn't complimentary).

I then said the thing I half quoted in my op and someone else actually said the poster was being racist (I didn't actually use that word - I said she was generalising about x race). The poster came back quite angrily and said along the lines of "oh I just said the race as I know women of that race who do that thing". I said "if you had meant white women would you have said 'white women who...'". She then said "no, not 'white women', but I might say [insert British isles country - not the original race] women, as I've known loads of them who do [insert not very complimentary thing] too".

The second one I wasn't sure was strictly racist, but I reported it anyway and both were removed.

[BernardBlacksHangover]

I said that the poster had made generalisations about Asian mothers in law (she had) and personally attacked another poster (she had). How is that goady please?

[BernardBlacksHangover]

And the reports at 11:18 were the second time I'd reported I think, as I'd assumed you didn't get my earlier report.

[YetAnotherHelenMumsnet]

Hi there,
Just to confirm that the post of yours that you mention here is still on the thread, in case anyone reading thinks that it was removed.

We're genuinely sorry that you don't agree with our moderation here and as we explained to you in our earlier email we did not think that yours were the worst of the posts (we removed several, from both 'sides' of the argument, none of which had anything to do with the OP's question) but we did feel, in the context of the entire thread, that we needed to remove those two.

Sincerely, we are sorry that you don't agree, but we don't feel that removing a couple of posts that we thought were 'a bit goady' really reflects in any way on our position regarding racism on the site.
We are now going to take a look at the other posts you have asked us to delete in light of your deletions, and will respond to those reports via our usual system.

We do wonder, though, if something went awry this morning with your emails getting to us as we have all four (two duplicate sets) arriving at 11.18. If the problem was at our end, we totally apologise (and hope that we haven't been responding to everyone else's emails an hour late!)

[BernardBlacksHangover]

The "if you had meant white women..." one is still on there, but the initial post I mention in my op was removed.

Email from YetAnotherHelen today:

"Hi Bernard,
Thanks for getting back to us. It went because it was a bit goady. Not the worst on the thread, certainly, but just we just felt that while we could justify leaving your other posts we couldn't really avoid getting rid of "Congratulations on managing to fit generalisations about "Asian mothers" hmm and a bit of a personal attack into your post there."

[BernardBlacksHangover]

Sorry if that^^ has to be deleted no, but since we've now discussed pretty much all of what I said I thought it would be ok.

[YetAnotherHelenMumsnet]

Don't worry, it's fine. We do think it's bit goady, though, face included, especially in light of the other posts on the thread, which were, as we said, worse.

We can see your point of view, of course, it feels very personal to have a post deleted. (Remember, we are most of us former MNers).
But we are trying to apply our guidelines fairly here, for the good of everyone who uses the site. The posts you reported for being racist were dealt with, in what we feel was reasonable time (albeit not so much if they were held up in our system, for which sorry again) and we removed other posts that we felt went against guidelines.

We are sorry, genuinely sorry to have upset you, that's the last thing we want to do, especially with posters who are so engaged with the site and whose contribution we value. (We value everyone of course, before anyone starts... ) We do hope that we have explained ourselves sufficiently well for you to understand where we are coming from.

[BernardBlacksHangover]

And yes, something has probably gone awry with reporting. I've had reports go missing in the past, which is why I assumed (rightly) that you didn't receive my first reports. It could easily be my end as I normally MN from my old iPhone.

[BernardBlacksHangover]

Yes, fine and thank you for taking the time to respond. I thought the poster's comment was more than worthy, but hey ho. We'll have to beg to differ.

[YetAnotherHelenMumsnet]

Let's totally beg to differ, we'd love that. Hurray! A glass of to celebrate? It's a relief to sort things out.

[BernardBlacksHangover]

I'm pregnant and now shooting you the virtual side-eye for mentioning delicious, forbidden wine: JOKE! I'll have instead .

[YetAnotherHelenMumsnet]

1. CONGRATULATIONS.
   

and

1. I too am on cake, for Bake-off is on and it's just RUDE not to join in.
   

also

1. I'm not even at work. You need to know this. Our entire conversation has been conducted with me as a completely rogue employee, who just happened to see something I'd dealt with earlier.
   

Back to dealing with kids' homework and watching the telly for me, am really glad to have sorted this out, though. See you around.