Has anyone on here ever made you cry?

Re: reporting posts, there are often very harsh opinions on Mumsnet that wouldn't be allowed elsewhere. Eg about race, immigration, disability, sexuality etc. Reading lots of people casually talking negatively when those things might reflect you or people close to you can be tough as well, and they aren't necessarily things that would be reportable (a thread today about wanting to move out of a city is the sort of thing I mean) I know there are lots of kinder posters but the volume of those who post freely about certain things can be upsetting if it's close to home.
The difference with other sites is there is still a lot of useful information on Mumsnet, so it is a case of being thick skinned and avoiding certain subjects. I do wish there was an 'ignore user ' function on this forum like there is on some others I use though!

I’ve been on the receiving end of that poster too, I renamed them in my head but it started with a C 🤣

No, but I have a skin like a rhino because I’m a dentist and every other patient greets me face to face by telling me how much they hate dentists. My hairdresser asked me how I coped with patients I don’t take to. I told him that I just get on with the job but make sure I do it well. If the patient doesn’t like me then they can tell everyone I’m a miserable git but I do a damn good job.

I try to be polite if I post even if it’s judgemental or critical. Someone even commented on my politeness despite the content. It’s very rare for me to be verbally abusive to someone face to face, professional restraint tends to prevail. So I just apply the same rules to online. I can be sarcastic but it doesn’t always translate in print. I have always advised DS to read twice before posting anything. It gives you time to reflect. And if you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face don’t immortalise it forever in print.

Ah OP, some people can be so cruel, and an anonymous forum really does give those cruel people a platform to perform on.

I haven’t cried but I’ve taken a break before because I couldn’t handle the nastiness on every single thread at one point (not even directed at me).
People are way too brave on the internet.

I just remind myself there are people like my MIL who exist who truly get a thrill out of upsetting people for no reason.

Yes. There was a Mum at Xmas time who was so upset about not having enough money to treat her kids and buy them warm jackets and waterproof shoes. Many people gave her good and practical advice.
I would have loved to help. It just tugged at my heart strings.
I've often wondered how they are all getting on now.

I've never actually cried but I have been shocked at how nasty some people can be. I was also called a horrible swear word once and it was by a poster called something like "Bluntness", I still remember their name many years later. This poster definitely lived up to their name but it was a post about something very run of the mill and I couldn't understand how they had got so worked up that they had to resort to such disgusting language. As a long term mumsnetter I'd definitely challenge or report them now but in those days I was very naive and thought everyone would be nice to each other!

Yes 🙈 when someone was absolutely adamant that I was not a teacher and could not call myself a teacher and was a liar for saying I was one as I had been a SAHM for five years. They then continued to tell me they would not accept their child being taught by someone like me who had not taught for five years. Batshit in hindsight but I was feeling a bit sensitive about being at home for so many years and it really upset me

No, I view this site like any others as mere entertainment, sometimes I can be bothered to engage and other times I cant.

A few people interest me but most people are idiots, including me!

Not to tears. But I did feel awful.
Divorce stuff.
The poster was completely right. Just very blunt about it.

When you are feeling vulnerable, this place is hard.

I haven't cried, but I took a break from here for a while as I had posted a thread where I didn't explain myself very well, got attacked for it, and while I could deal with that part (used to seeing that on Mumsnet after all) I was repeatedly PM'd by a particular poster berating me for 'ignoring' their posts. Said poster had been more neutral in the thread but PM'd me to tell me how awful I was because I'd responded to the posters who were challenging me in thread and not directly to them (to thank them? I don't know). At the time I was apologetic but looking back I was annoyed I even replied, it was a fast moving thread and I had shared about going through a difficult time, so quite why they felt the right to demand my attention I don't know.

Only with tales of poorly cats and sweet little rescued kitties

No, never.

I find it helpful to look at MN like a really crowded shopping centre where you'll see a huge mix of people.

Some people will be:

Nice
Nasty
Unremarkable
Mentally ill
NT
ND
Alcoholics
Drug addicts
Boring
Very political
Very religious

And lots and lots of other things.

I'd no more let them get to me and make me cry than I would if I was walking through that shopping centre, as all of them are random strangers.

I don't think anyone ever made me cry, but I may have cried at other people's sad stories before - maybe a couple of times over the years. I think I may have shed a tear when a much loved poster sadly died many years ago.
I have felt incredibly angry at people who post unnecessarily vile stuff on threads where the OP is clearly in a fragile state - I see it all the time, and it is definitely worse than ever now. I think yes, it's SM, it's anonymous - but it's a real person there.

No worries, if you were referring to the 7th post then you were absolutely right!!

No, though I got so angry when a poster made remark around my DM death during Covid. I said she wasn’t huge at 14 stone, they thought it was hilarious. I genuinely wanted to punch them. 🫣
MN has definitely got worse over the years, like all SM it gives people the opportunity to be an absolute dick/head.

Yeah a while back I had my universal credit sanctioned for missing an appointment. I have schizophrenia. They sanctioned me for three months and I had barely any food. I came on here crying as I wrote it out only to be met with mega vitriol getting called lazy and it's my own fault etc etc. I cried. I felt like part of it was contempt for me being on benefits.

Deleted. I misread something. Sorry!

.

Never. I couldn't get worked up or upset about a random nobody on the internet firing insults at me. I couldn't care less. 25-ish years of being on message forums has hardened me! 😆

I'm sorry you were upset though @belvitias I hope you reported that comment.

I know, the bloody irony on this thread of all places. Just proving the point.

That's not what is being asked - has someone made you cry is the title of the post and the content of the post is clear that it's about being targeted offensively online. I am sure many people have been moved by people's posts on here - I have - but that is absolutely not what this thread is even remotely about.

I think people on here offload all of their negative emotions behind a screen because they know there are no repercussions. So what, someone can report your post but no more than that. You’d never hear half the comments made on here in real life. Sorry you’ve been made to feel like shit.

Mother Theresa genuinely was a cunt though.

I've never cried but I have deregistered and taken a break from being here once for the sake of my mental health when two posters in particular had been complete arseholes on a thread I'd started. I came back when I had developed the resilience to not give a shit what random anonymous Internet users think, and know when to walk away from a thread rather than try to argue with stupid.