How about a campaign where the users get MNHQ staff to take diversity training?

Manumission - there is also argument to say that this whole 'MNHQ are a bunch of cunts/don't give a shit/aren't responding exactly how we demand when we demand' narrative a) has been done to death, b) is OTT and c) isn't going to move this forward (as much or as quickly as posters are demanding).

Well I haven't said that HQ are a bunch of cunts or that they should do exactly as I demand (far from it) so there's not much point addressing that to me.

I haven't seen anyone call HQ a bunch of cunts, to be fair.

NoSun use of the SN brigade comment isn't as often now. It was really bad for awhile. The moment "SN" was mentioned in any way whatsoever for quite some time, there were literally tons of people piling into threads berating the poster, saying "oh god, it's the SN brigade again" and it was really nasty.

Calls of 'sn brigade' despite AGREEING with an OP were made just because I mentioned disability in my post - I mean wt actual f???

I have only ever seen that expression used by people complaining about its use. No one actually does comment on "the SN brigade", apart from those complaining about people using that expression.

Manumission - there is also argument to say that this whole 'MNHQ are a bunch of cunts/don't give a shit/aren't responding exactly how we demand when we demand' narrative a) has been done to death, b) is OTT and c) isn't going to move this forward (as much or as quickly as posters are demanding).

Tbh I think the posters that think MNHQ are fucking up would do better to deal with MNHQ direct - hell, even phone them or something - but get a proper conversation going with them, instead of these numerous threads berating them.

I think it's frustration, really. People are getting tired of HQ saying they want to leave up some threads to educate, when there is obvious disablist language on it. I'd understand it if they said "okay, this is new, we're going to do this and focus on educating people for the next 3 months, then Bam! we start deleting." But it's not.

Six years ago, when I first was learning my son had disabilities, MNHQ was saying this. Six years on, it's still happening, so yeah, I feel it's kind of rubbish. Yes, I get that there are new people coming on all the time, but there will ALWAYS be new people coming on. At some point, HQ needs to step up and state that we're done educating in this regard. They don't educate for racism. They delete. Disablist language should be treated the same.

Perhaps on a second deletion, people should be automatically suspended for a week, you know, to give them a chance to educate themselves over whatever issue caused their posts to be deleted, be it racism, disablist language, or just being a dick (although I suspect that's hard to educate yourself out of ).

I don't really know what the solution is, however, my feeling is that those that deal with disabilities and that are getting frustrated over the disablist language are feeling that there's been no forward momentum from MNHQ in years to contain it at all. Perhaps it might be helpful if MNHQ took note of that and took some steps to rectify that, as quite frankly educating people isn't working very well, especially with new people coming in all the time, and lately it has been a bit of a free for all. I think MN is walking a thin line between freedom of speech and allowing hate speech on the site, as my understanding is that as it is their site, they are ultimately responsible for what stays on the site (otherwise why the kerfluffle over that child care book author or the McCanns or Samaritan's Purse), and sadly, I feel that they often err on the side of allowing things to remain that cross the line in this particular subject when they would not do so in other subjects. And that is partly why so many are upset, IMO.

Or to put it more bluntly.... they are shit hot at jumping on posts that cross the line in certain things, but slack at the disablist stuff, leading some of us to think that it's a low priority and that they can't be bothered. If that's not the case, then IMO MNHQ needs to make that message clear.... not by talk but by actions.

manu I just think it's very very easy to criticise when you arne't the person responsible/making the decisions.

Well of course it is. And of course making the decisions isn't easy.

But the whole 'go and start your own site'/'fuck off you don't like it'/'dereg if you're unhappy' narrative a) has been done to death, b) is OTT and c) isn't going to move this forward.

I get that there is strong feeling about this issue, and I've reported posts along the lines of "SEN / ADHD / whatever" before, and been told that they are going to leave it to stand to help educate, which seems completely absurd to me

But the premise of the thread - to demand that MNHQ trot off to diversity training - is misplaced, I think. For one thing you don't know that they aren't already up to their eyeballs with diversity training (much of which is complete shite, BTW), for another it's not up to the users of the site to demand specific actions from the owners of the site. Yes, raise the issue (again); yes, ask them to improve understanding of the issues and develop a more flexible deletion policy; no, you can't demand that they do x, y and z.

manu I just think it's very very easy to criticise when you arne't the person responsible/making the decisions.

Yes, because othering minority groups is the way forward!
When I first posted here I had two children, neither diagnosed with a disability, and despite being deaf didn't classify myself as disabled.

Now, over a decade later, I have three children who all have multiple complex needs and I am very physically disabled myself.

My worldview has shifted tremendously but because it is different it's not welcome. Why? I'm a parent, I have children. Despite my experience being different I've found it relevant in a number of areas. So why shouldn't I share that? Calls of 'sn brigade' despite AGREEING with an OP were made just because I mentioned disability in my post - I mean wt actual f???

I've made at least 3 friends in RL from here. People are saying I should leave all of that?

MNHQ are obviously trying to understand ( they have already said they are consulting a disability charity) and clearly don't have an agenda against people of certain minority groups. I can imagine they are worried about whatever they do because they know there are some people waiting to jump on their every move.

Maybe the lag while they do that just happens to be coinciding with peak frustration?

Why don't you go and start your own parenting forum OP?

Oh binary do knock it off.

How do comments like that help in any way? They just inflame.

MN is like a relationship. If you're finding it shattering, if it's hard work and no fun any more then step away. I would say that to anyone who was finding anything that was supposed to be enjoyable too much hard work or upsetting.

You say you want people to think, you want people to reconsider, you want people to be more understanding... but then you say it's not your job to educate. I don't understand that at all.

MNHQ are obviously trying to understand ( they have already said they are consulting a disability charity) and clearly don't have an agenda against people of certain minority groups. I can imagine they are worried about whatever they do because they know there are some people waiting to jump on their every move.

I wonder how many other threads took a similar time to be deleted today and yesterday, probably a few.

At the moment there are certain threads I won't post on because I know emotions are high and I don't want to read snarky comments on threads in site stuff about me when I have tried to help someone. Tell me if I say something you find offensive but I'd hate to be an OP who asks for genuine suppose to read 'ffs someone has posted a thread about xyz' somewhere else on the site.

Okay fair enough.
I will change ASD to the word women.

This is it.

Disability awareness is about 20 years behind Racial equality which is itself at least 20 years behind Feminism.

Then you can run it however you like.

Then you can then listen to the posters complain about how you run it.

Posters that have zero experience or knowledge of running an international web forum. Posters who don't pay for the service. Posters who are welcome to to a bazillion other websites if yours doens't quite suit them.