@Pinnacular
I see micro versions of the same knee jerk censorship on MN when people are so quick to say block or delete people over singular instances, even LTB becomes an exercise in piling on. There are obviously things that shouldn't be tolerated, but this often feels like an inability to accept failings on others, to discuss and reach understanding or compromise. We all have failings. I think we all hope for compassion but often can't show it to others. It must have a massive societal mental health burden too, as I imagine these people are as harsh on themselves as other people, and those who don't get a chance to answer their critics also suffer.
I have been a victim of ‘cancel culture’ on MN. If you are wondering how come I’m typing this, well I was so upset, I got an I.T. friend of mine to get me back on again. If this is the only post I make, so be it, because it will just prove my point: Mumsnet has a problem with ‘cancel culture’.
I started a thread a few days ago related to my job in education, it was about a newspaper report discussing the decolonisation of schools, the involvement of the teaching Unions and stuff like: unconscious bias, systemic racism and micro-aggressions. I made my views known: that the Unions shouldn’t be getting into this, they should be supporting their members – like the guy in Batley, for example and that unconscious bias training is a con to get money out of schools, which could be spent on something substantive, instead. I did so in a polite and measured way, but pretty soon it was time to pile onto me.
I did receive some support from a few mumsnetters, but two in particular began a vicious campaign against me. I was patronised & sent a crappy ‘reading list’ to begin my ‘journey’ towards enlightenment. I was told I needed to sign up for anti-racism training ‘sharpish’ and then, when I stood my ground, things got serious. I was told that my username had been googled and a teacher with that name came up, so, assuming that was me, I was ‘advised’ to change my name and delete the thread. I explained I was not that person from the google search and I would not remove the thread, just because they didn’t agree with it. I was then told that I was being reported because by using that teacher’s name I was: “knowingly damaging someone else’s reputation”. Not true, because I didn’t even know of this other person, until they informed me about them! I was again instructed by the ‘bully’ to delete the thread, which I still refused to do.
But as I expected, MNHQ did and a few hours later my account was erased.
Ironically, on the day that all this happened (Monday) there was another busy thread about the Number 10 Covid-19 briefing which got ‘pulled’, because someone used the term: ‘…call a garden implement a bloody shovel’ (I paraphrase to avoid offence!) and a big debate started about that and whether it was a racial slur or not! The world, especially online, is going slightly fucking mad!
Now, here is my dilemma: I reckon I have a small window of opportunity today, so AIBU to contact the two people who bullied me this week – to the point of cancellation, and tell them exactly what I think? Or do I just leave it and accept this is the world we are living in right now and there are certain things that if your views differ slightly from the herd, you become a target for cancellation and on Mumsnet, the herd always wins?