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AIBU?

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Original poster

So many threads taken down lately

10 replies

TheBlueKoala · 14/09/2026 06:34

It's quite frustrating when you're posting in good faith to then find out the OP is fake and thread deleted. Especially when the subject isn't a far fetched one; could be real. Like the OP living with her mother with dementia who held her cat too hard which made her ds upset. I mean It's very plausible, nothing extraordinary. Why make up such a thing? I have got plenty real subjects I could post about and I think the majority of us do- there are always conflicts (big or small) in relationships and it can be good to get a reality check/advice/different opinions on MN. So why the need to make up trivial stories ? Personally I avoid obvious rage bait threads or threads that sound fake "I make 500 k" type ones. But mundane "boring" threads- why make those up?

AIBU thinking you have to be a bit deranged to make these things up?

OP posts:
Alittlefrustrated · 14/09/2026 06:40

YANBU, but they are usually quite obvious - using a silly indignant tone when defending something obviously wrong/ridiculous, regardless of responses.

fumingrightnow1 · 14/09/2026 07:14

Never believe anything you read online

PermanentTemporary · 14/09/2026 07:19

Some people have very dull lives and troll MN because they can get a response, like saddo playground bullies. Just don’t get too invested, social media is ultimately entertainment.

I don’t go on AIBU that much any more, I think there are areas of the site that are less infested by trolls.

Lexibletheflexible · 14/09/2026 07:28

Are they definitely made up or are they removed for other reasons?

Original poster
TheBlueKoala · 14/09/2026 07:56

Lexibletheflexible · 14/09/2026 07:28

Are they definitely made up or are they removed for other reasons?

Some are removed because deemed ableist/ageist/racist etc. Some are removed while MN is "looking behind the scenes" meaning they have a doubt about the OP or that people have signalled doubts about the OP- but how would they verify this? I don't think they have the ressources to investigate thouroughly😅. And some are removed with the motivation that the OP is fake. I have no idea how they know this.

OP posts:
Portmore · 14/09/2026 08:02

TheBlueKoala · 14/09/2026 07:56

Some are removed because deemed ableist/ageist/racist etc. Some are removed while MN is "looking behind the scenes" meaning they have a doubt about the OP or that people have signalled doubts about the OP- but how would they verify this? I don't think they have the ressources to investigate thouroughly😅. And some are removed with the motivation that the OP is fake. I have no idea how they know this.

Show quote history

They look at the posting history eg have they just created an account & then posted something strange, do they have a history of posting inflammatory or troll things or are they a long term member posting & commenting on different threads.

I've always found MN to make sensible decisions when I've reported things - sometimes they say they've taken down the thread & sometimes they say 'we've looked into this & OP is a long term poster' & the thread stays up.

This may well get deleted as is a thread about a thread (TAAT) which breaks talk guidelines

impatientfury · 14/09/2026 08:14

A lot are removed because the OP panics that the post was "outing", which generally means they didn't like the replies.

LuckyHazelFox · 14/09/2026 09:00

Others are removed because of the amount of insults. People who can't help themselves when posters don't agree with them. It's always around the same (political) topics.

BronzedSun · 14/09/2026 09:09

Portmore · 14/09/2026 08:02

They look at the posting history eg have they just created an account & then posted something strange, do they have a history of posting inflammatory or troll things or are they a long term member posting & commenting on different threads.

I've always found MN to make sensible decisions when I've reported things - sometimes they say they've taken down the thread & sometimes they say 'we've looked into this & OP is a long term poster' & the thread stays up.

This may well get deleted as is a thread about a thread (TAAT) which breaks talk guidelines

Show quote history

Not always. MN had their doubts about me after I had a thread reported. Their reason for their doubts was that in one thread I had a son who is, say 2, and in another, a daughter who is 3 when really I had a son is 3.

After I’ve had two threads go into the DM and have been outed in my personal life as a result, as well as their data hack a few years ago, I used to change details slightly to avoid anyone spotting me but MN took that as evidence that I was a troll. So I wouldn’t assume they have a foolproof way of spotting trolls and that if a thread is deleted then it must be a troll. It took some persuading that I’m not a troll and it was lost on them that in all these threads, I had one child who is a toddler.

Back to OP’s original point, after you’ve been here for a while, you start to get better at spotting the trolls and just don’t bother engaging anymore.

LuckyHazelFox · 14/09/2026 09:11

I often wonder about name changes from regular posters to provoke certain responses. Controversial subjects are normally the ones I look out for. The advanced search button is your friend. Shame some abuse it.

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