The pointless bitching on FB local pages.

[BuzzShitbagBobbly]

I mean about things that can't be changed, or that were already decided ages ago etc. It's so tedious. None of them come with any suggestions on how to resolve or improve the issue (let alone participate in consultations or send comments in on planning matters etc), they just want to bleat on about how hard done by they are. Even when they aren't.

Housing
"Wah! Nobody told me they were building houses across the road!"
We've had a massive local consultation about housing recently. Yes it's not ideal, but wild exaggeration about how has been "completely concreted over" are just ridiculous, because we have acres and acres and acres of farmland and wild open countryside within 10-15mins in practically every direction.

Doctor provision
"I can't get an appointment for 4 weeks!"
No, you can get an appointment TODAY, with a fully qualified GP, completely free of charge, at a surgery 10mins from your home - if your health requires it. Plus walk-in services at multiple locations nearby. What you want is to see a specific doctor at a time and day that suits you.

Congestion
"Traffic here is worse than central London!"
First off, you are part of the bloody problem. Why don't you walk/bike/bus if it means so much to you?
Second, travelling at peak rush hour on the solitary, single-lane road that goes through the town centre will never be the freewheeling zip-through it is at any other time.
Third, stop bloody exaggerating.

Victor Meldrew alert.

and now you're pointlessly bitching on MN

Can you switch Facebook off or is it like the telescreens in 1984?

and now you're pointlessly bitching on MN

but if we all stopped that MN would disappear

I agree. I prefer to read it on MN instead

One I hate is people taking photos of cars half parked on the pavement and moaning about their pushchairs.

At a local baby group I go to it’s the Mums parking like this! I always smile at the irony.

Definitely telescreens Summer. It's everywhere!

(in more seriousness, it gets into my feed amongst the posts from friends and family I do want to read, as well as the local news which is also relevant and helpful. e.g. a useful post about farm market times and dates and which suppliers will be there, gets hijacked into a rant about parking charges or availability of spaces)

That confirms my paranoia about not joining.

Thanks for the tip off!

Ah, people love a moan...

... Don't they OP?

Ha ha, so moaning about it on mumsnet is ok

The one about the doctors is true for a lot of us unfortunately. We usually have to wait 4 weeks for an appointment.

... Don't they OP?

I like to go in and offer helpful/actionable suggestions.
Goes down like shit on toast usually.

You'd think they'd be grateful someone had a solution for them

The one about the doctors is true for a lot of us unfortunately. We usually have to wait 4 weeks for an appointment.

But as I say, not where I am. You can call in the morning for a same day appt, plus there are sit and wait, and walk-in clinics, available. If you demand to see a specific GP at a time that suits your personal diary, then 4 weeks is to be expected.

We get asked if the gp appointment is urgent. Tbh if something's urgent you are more likely to be heading to A & E.

If you have any sense of perspective the two week wait is a given at our surgery.

The moaning is awful on our local fb page. I would leave but it's useful for lots of things so I just tolerate it. It seems to be mainly those who are 50+ who like to moan. Maybe they are retired and have more time on their hands. The biggest downside of the internet is the constant deluge of other people's thoughts and opinions. Life was better when we didn't know every little thought inside people's heads .

One I saw yesterday was someone letting everyone know (a bit far in advance!) the date of our village fireworks. First 2 replies were fireworks should be banned, whinge moan whinge. Miserable bastards.

In one of my local fb groups they're always whinging about the state of the local park but when someone set up a separate action page with the aim of setting up a Friends of... group to raise money to look after it, do regular litter picks and generally take on some of the work that the local council doesn't have the money to do any more, noone wants to know. It's fallen flat on its face.

There was moaning about the proposal to knock down the old, abandoned, derelict market stalls and build a Costa and Burger King (I think, or is it a Subway?). How dare they knock down the place where there used to be a thriving market (that noone ever really used, hence it being abandoned) and build yet another fast food place?

There are 3 Turkish barbers in the area and omg the complaints and racism! I honestly don't understand what the problem is: they occupy shops that had been closed and boarded up for ages yet the moaners would seemingly prefer to have the empty buildings.

I love to hate-read that page!

Thing is, if people prefaced these posts with "just want to have a rant", it would make more sense. We all know green space is being eaten by houses, that the NHS is struggling etc. We agree on that!

But these people stat spewing fire and brimstone about something that is patently untrue or wrong, and then that is pointed out, they double down with even more bullshot, usually with some comment like "I'm just stating facts" added on.

It becomes sport to piss them off after that.

I just posted a screenshot of a clearly visible, legible sign in response to someone saying "I know, for a fact, that sign doesn't exist"; and he's come back with a "well, yeah but nobody calls that a sign".

I'm so glad I never got into facebook. The more I hear, the more I hate even the idea of it. So much trivia and a lot of malicious gossip. I feel the same way about twitter.

In one of my local fb groups they're always whinging about the state of the local park but when someone set up a separate action page with the aim of setting up a Friends of... group to raise money to look after it, do regular litter picks and generally take on some of the work that the local council doesn't have the money to do any more, noone wants to know. It's fallen flat on its face.

Yep. Always "someone else" should do x, y or z. Never them.

"People should shop locally", says the woman who loads up at Asda.
"We need more independent retailers", says the guy holding his Costa coffee.
"Traffic is a nightmare" says the commuter who is driving a mile to the office.

They have hooked you op!

I'm so glad I never got into facebook.

In its defence is is a fantastic way to share news, pics, adventures, jokes and funny things with people you know all over the world. I see wedding photos and new children and homes, I share my friends' happinesses and lives and send them things they'll like or find funny. I communicate with far flung family more often that I would otherwise. I enter competitions and communicate with brands I like.

Despite my OP, it is far, far better than it is bad.

I love our Facebook page, especially the "to the woman in the black car this morning who pulled out in front of me" That'll learn her.

Ours is periodically hijacked by people complaining about (usually imaginary) goings on in the local schools. I'm often amazed at the imagination of some people- they should probably be writing dramas! There's usually a kernal of truth hiding in a huge conspiracy theory. Eg. a few weeks ago one of the schools announced that a teacher (in her 60s) was retiring at the end of the year. The post started with a few reminiscing about being in her class when they were kids, suggesting organising a card for her etc and ended with some deciding that either a) she had an incurable disease and would be dead within the year so a support group to help her DH and DC was needed or b) she had been bullied out of the school and everyone should write to Ofsted/local press. I happen to know her and the school quite well and the fact was that she just wanted to retire so she could go on holidays etc with her DH and generally enjoy being a lady of leisure.

There's usually a kernal of truth hiding in a huge conspiracy theory. Eg. a few weeks ago one of the schools announced that a teacher (in her 60s) was retiring at the end of the year. The post started with a few reminiscing about being in her class when they were kids, suggesting organising a card for her etc and ended with some deciding that either a) she had an incurable disease and would be dead within the year so a support group to help her DH and DC was needed or b) she had been bullied out of the school and everyone should write to Ofsted/local press

Isn't that how a lot of MN threads develop as well?
In fact I am starting to see quite a lot of FB/MN overlaps!

Buzzshitbagbobbly - I'm an unsociable old biddy.