Some people on here are ridiculously gullible

The UK is guillable which explains Daily Mail circulation numbers.

That's a rather scathing generalisation. I comment on threads if I have something to say about the subject raised. I couldn't care less if the situation is true, or simply a story to get people talking. It's a discussion forum not a support service. Any support given to a real person on a genuine issue is a bonus, but I'm here for the exchange of views and don't mind what sparks them. If I'm not interested in the subject I move along.

Some people on here are ridiculously gullible

Your title was condescending and lacks self-awareness with the reference to ‘some people on here’. The irony is, you believe people are posting ‘in earnest’ when they might just be playing along. Why believe everything you read?!

Did she not also move continents (from Middle East back to here)? Or was that another one whose whole life changed beyond recognition in a matter of hours? Suspected husband of something one evening; was leaving the country the next afternoon!😀

Sometimes valuable information and discussions happen on these threads. And the incredulous posters can be quite entertaining.

There's an MN Trolls Reddit sub which might interest you. Trollhunt to your heart's content there. If you think a post here isn't genuine, report and move on.

But even if a post is fake, at what point does 'benefit of the doubt' have to leave the room? Okay, so maybe a troll is having a laugh at all the gullible people posting on their thread but, apart from that, what harm is being done?

And if one vulnerable person is helped, does it matter how many troll posts there are?

not sure why you care?

pointing out that some stories are so obviously fake it’s laughable.

You do realise you're not 'pointing this out' if everybody already knows full well this is the case, though?

It's the fact you seem to believe people don't know this because you believe what they respond is in earnest. That's what people are now 'pointing out' to you.

Just clocked OP's username.
Dagless would sort this out or my arse is grass!

Exactly - the people who post on MN about how posting on MN means you can only care about that thing! Just total lack of critical thinking

“downgrades the MN experience”???

But your experience and my experience and the OP’s experience of MN, views on MN and usage of MN will all be entirely different.

MN isn’t a noble public service, it’s a business the purpose of which is to make money for the owners.

Now, it might also provide entertainment, or consumer advice or information or solace or wisdom or a place for political activism but those are side benefits.

And yes, I agree there are no doubt better or healthier ways to self soothe, but this one is free, accessible 24/7 and (mostly) safe.

😂

Many people read stuff they want to and share it if it confirms their belief.
John Cleese has reposted a lot of stuff that is fake, misinformation etc but he wants to believe. A lot of it is at Diane Abbot, Lenny Henry, Trump,,Putin and Islam

He reads the posts, and requotes it and shares, even though it is fake or misinformation

It's confirmation bias

I would point you all to what Abraham Lincoln said in 1850 - "Not everything you read on the Internet is true".

I know what you mean. But I also know there are things that have happened to me or in my life and I've never told anyone, even when I could have done with support because I thought no one in their right mind would believe it. And, if I'm honest, if it had happened to someone else and they'd told me, I'm not sure I'd have believed them either.

And, if I told you all of them, you'd assume I was a complete fantasist because those things couldn't possibly have happened to one person. Or that I must have had a part to play in them because no one could be that unlucky, so many times, with so many different people.

Some stories on here are obviously made up but some people are just really unlucky!

I remember this one where this woman had this awful argument with her husband who had been unfaithful and she was hysterical sitting on the floor of her bedroom while the guy was banging on the door. I was gobsmacked people were believing it! She was posting regularly, her spelling and use of paragraphs was the best I´ve seen on here, for someone who was "hysterically crying" it was a master class. It was a right novel! I still remember when I had a small car accident and messaged my husband, reread it later, full of typos and not my usual style, I was high on adrenaline and it showed! I wanted to comment, but with all this troll hunting bans I just let it go.

Do you mean you think the whole of MN is just for fun?

Because I strongly take issue with that, especially having seen 2 threads in the night where the OP's are clearly suicidal. And some of the threads, particularly involving OP's dealing with DC's with extremely challenging physical and mental conditions,are truly heartbreaking.

I think some threads, definitely in increasing numbers, are quite clearly from early on are made up. With others it only becomes apparent after a few pages of replies . They infuriate me because the OPs are making fools of those who take time to offer support and advice. But more importantly they do such a disservice to genuine OPs because it's encouraging pps to treat genuine threads as though they are fakes and the attitude of some pp is really very poor because they are scathing and unsupportive of the OP just because they assume, without any concrete reason, that the thread is made up.

No I didn’t miss the point. You didn’t mention that you will also be earnestly replying to some fictitious posts. You suggested that it was others being oh so gullible and should question what they read. You will have been taken in too.

Unlike you, I don’t care if posts are made up, anyway. I reply and enjoy the bigger discussion.

I first came to MN when I was struggling to toilet train DS2, so more than 20 years ago. It was very helpful to me then, but even then there was a level of spitefulness.

The House Keeper and the dentist saga.......that had to be a piss take.

This is a good summary.

💯.
I've been here around 13 years and there's a vast difference in this place from then to now. And not always for the better.

I don't see any digs at working mums. I see the digs at MILs.