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Original poster

This Brick person. Has the world (and specifically this bit of it) gone completely barking mad?

111 replies

ReactionaryFish · 05/04/2012 21:59

So some silly attention-seeker writes some daft article which endorses a whole load of unpleasant misogynist attitudes about valuing women purely on the basis of their looks.
And MN responds to this by .... about 30 000 threads endorsing precisely the same attitudes by attacking this woman for her looks.
Not very bright, is it?

OP posts:
LineRunner · 06/04/2012 23:29

No, that's not correct, OP.

Although I would be interested in seeing your data analysis.

Original poster
ReactionaryFish · 06/04/2012 23:27

well, I disagree with you on that basic factual point, linerunner. The immediate response to this article was a mind-boggling proliferation of threads attacking this lady for her looks, proferring such gems as "my DH doesn't even fancy her" etc. You'd expect the odd post along those lines no doubt, but this wave of bile was overwhelming. Certainly later a few threads critical of the DM manipulation crept in, but the initial and majority response I found genuinely shocking. I would not have expected it.

OP posts:
BasilFoulTea · 06/04/2012 23:26

Clear trend?

Yes, if you ignore all the posts which aren't part of this clear trend.

LineRunner · 06/04/2012 23:25

I've noticed that many people don't leave a thread anyway when they say they are going to. It's kind of sweet, the bond that exists.

LineRunner · 06/04/2012 23:23

Indeed, the OP is a generalising OP in the extreme.

There is no clear trend in the threads that existed prior to this thread. No-one is hapless. There has been interesting analysis of the 'choreography' involved by a large number of posts and posters.

SardineQueen · 06/04/2012 23:20

Nah linerunner it's not you.

SardineQueen · 06/04/2012 23:20

What is the point of this thread anyway?

I just read the OP again and the question was whether the response of "MN" was "not very bright" or not.

MN is a large group of people and so the question doesn't make sense.
And I don't like seeing the whole of MN classified as "not very bright" based on what some people on it wrote.
It's a non-question.

LineRunner · 06/04/2012 23:18

I'm having a weird few days, getting onto threads, not saying anything particularly controversial (I don't think), and posters saying 'I'm just going to give up,' or 'I'm off.'

Is it me?

Original poster
ReactionaryFish · 06/04/2012 23:18

"There is something a bit off about RF's posts. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if RF is a man."

Blimey, I would be

OP posts:
Original poster
ReactionaryFish · 06/04/2012 23:17

I'm going to have one more go at this, and then stop engaging with you, because you plainly have decided you're going to read about one word in 10 of what I post and then wilfully misunderstand that.
I am not generalising about women. I am remarking on a clear trend which I have observed here over the last few days, which one the one hand you seem to want to deny exists, and on the other you defend on the grounds, as I understand it, that the participants are hapless victims of media manipulation. Of course not every single poster on MN has participated in that trend; nowhere have I claimed that that is the case.

OP posts:
BasilFoulTea · 06/04/2012 23:15

Are you referring to the stereotype of men talking down to women and telling them what's what and expecting the women to meekly accept their parameters RF?

Well, if the cap fits...

miloben · 06/04/2012 23:15

There is something a bit off about RF's posts. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if RF is a man.

SardineQueen · 06/04/2012 23:11

I'm just reading what you have written, RF. I am not the only one who is uncomfortable with the content and tone of your posts. I do think there is a conversation to be had about this but I think that calling "MN" to account for what its posters writes and using that to generalise about women is a bit off.

Original poster
ReactionaryFish · 06/04/2012 23:07

I've been accused of many things on here, but never being a man! How funny. I think you probably have to be relying fairly heavily on gender stereotypes yourself to come to that conclusion about a person you can't see, don't you?
Sardine your keenness to misrepresent my posts seems to survive any attempt on my part to explain myself. I'm just going to give up I think, but you knock yourself out. you're clearly getting something out of it.

OP posts:
SardineQueen · 06/04/2012 22:58

The above quote comes across as rather aggressive.

If a lot of people feel that your posts come across as aggressive, then maybe that is something worth thinking about?

SardineQueen · 06/04/2012 22:56

"No problem with strong opinions, flipinnada - strong opinions which betray the fact that you have actually bought into the crazy values set out in the piece you're claiming to criticise probably warrant some examination before you spew them out, though."

Um... Yes I think you were.

LineRunner · 06/04/2012 22:56

I beg to disagree, OP. You directed a sentence at flippinada and wrote, 'you spew...'

BasilFoulTea · 06/04/2012 22:56

It's just very funny to see some bloke come on here and do the lordly mansplaining bit, telling women how to respond to misogyny.

No matter how hard you try, some of you just can't disguise your deep voices, can you?

And you have no idea why you come across as aggressive.

If you were a woman, you'd get it.

But you're not, so doubtless you'll stick around and lecture me some more about why your mansplaining is not mansplaining.

SardineQueen · 06/04/2012 22:55

RF maybe you should examine your thoughts, in line with the many posts on this thread, rather than suggesting others do that.

There are a lot of people who have suggested that the mail is the best place to direct ire, I think that is true.

I don't think you are going to get a lot of support in criticising MN "en masse", in the way that you have been doing in your posts. It is simplistic to believe that a bunch of posts represent all women on MN, and rather uninteresting to talk about how stupid women are (precis, that) rather than why this article caused the kerfuffle it did.

Original poster
ReactionaryFish · 06/04/2012 22:53

I wasn't saying she was. It was a general remark about those who have been spewing their strong opinions on this topic over the last few days.
I have no idea what "PARD" means, but I would tentatively respond that making unwarranted accusations of aggression isn't really cricket either.

OP posts:
SardineQueen · 06/04/2012 22:51

Flippinada has only posted twice, and in a very neutral manner.

She's not "spewing" anything.

Telling basil to buy a dictionary. That's not PARD now, is it.

Original poster
ReactionaryFish · 06/04/2012 22:46

If you think my tone is aggressive, Basil, you've lead blessedly sheltered life. or maybe you just need to buy a dictionary.
No problem with strong opinions, flipinnada - strong opinions which betray the fact that you have actually bought into the crazy values set out in the piece you're claiming to criticise probably warrant some examination before you spew them out, though.

OP posts:
BasilFoulTea · 06/04/2012 22:38

LOL at someone aggressively declaring that their posts are not aggressive.

[bugrin]

There speaks someone who has a subliminal expectation of being taken more seriously than the average woman. [bubiscuit]

miloben · 06/04/2012 21:54

Thanks Flippinada! ;) (You all have such great names, by the way. I named myself after my two dogs..Blush) The articles in the mail portrayed her as quite ridiculous, but on This Morning I thought she seemed a lot more cautious and measured. One thing I noticed was that her body language around the male presenters was different (more positive) to that around the women, so of course she will get a different reaction.

Her piece was so obviously commissioned (and changed) to provoke women (and men). The Mail is one horrible paper!!

flippinada · 06/04/2012 21:12

That's a good point miloben, I wouldn't be surprised if it's been edited to make her seem as obnoxious as possible.