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What's your MN Niggle

283 replies

JackThayer · 25/02/2024 17:19

Mine is when the thread is something along the lines of "what's your favourite dinner?" Or "Worst holiday you've ever been on?" And OP replies to every single post!

OP posts:
LuckyMum1989 · 25/02/2024 23:37

Ok - that time, I definitely put 3. Not 1. I checked.

I stand corrected. My main MN niggle is now the inability to post numbered lists.

TheFreaksShallInheritTheEarth · 26/02/2024 00:01

The veneration and sacredness of "The gut"
Everybody has to follow their gut. The gut is never wrong.
I'd sooner use my brain; my gut is dealing with my dinner right now.

Oh and "Spidey senses" comes up quite frequently, even though the posters are, presumably, over the age of 7.

teatimeplease · 26/02/2024 05:58

whatausername · 25/02/2024 17:41

Starting a post with "x here."

Does anyone say that in offline life? Even in briefings where it's a quickfire introduction of 10+ people we manage to introduce ourselves properly and without sounding like a bellend.

There is also a poster who puts "reader" in the middle of her posts and stories. It's an online conversation, you're not some big writer with a fawning audience! Can't remember when I last saw her. Maybe she's fallen under a bus. Or left the forum. That'd be less dramatic. And nicer.

I hate the x here too

DoorPath · 26/02/2024 06:50

The transphobia that emboldens more bigotry in other posters.

Tessisme · 26/02/2024 07:16

There is also a poster who puts "reader" in the middle of her posts and stories.

There's more than one😅 It irritates the hell out of me.

Maddy70 · 26/02/2024 07:31

Brawcolli · 25/02/2024 18:06

The transphobia, elitism and general ignorance some posters seem proud to share with the class.

Yes!!!!

jm9138 · 26/02/2024 07:42

Posters who think that being transphobic includes people who has sympathy with someone who has gender dysphoria but does not believe that a woman who cuts off her breasts and sews on a penis is a man, or that encouraging children to have surgery and hormone blockers is a good thing.

Posters who think their version of what is kind or good is so obviously superior that anyone who disagrees is evil and full of hate and can be dismissed with a one word perjorative.

jm9138 · 26/02/2024 07:45

Posters who cannot see the irony in not liking elitist posters whilst also not liking posters who are ignorant.

GoodOldEmmaNess · 26/02/2024 08:02

And OP replies to every single post!

I'm guilty of this sort of behaviour on threads I start. Even though I can understand that it is annoying, I feel all anxious about the need to be appreciative and welcoming as the 'hostess' of the threadGrin. I get worried that posters will feel neglected if I don't acknowledge them.

My own biggest niggle is the flaming quote facility. It is especially annoying when people use it to quote the whole OP, but other over-quoting is also a pain. It often happens that I write something and then the very next post quotes my whole post in order to reply. Just @ me, fgs, if you feel that even that much is necessary. Or where needed, quote the relevant bit manually (as I've done in this post). I wish MN would just get rid of the quote button.

Nchanged89 · 26/02/2024 08:12

Posters who comment with the really witty comment "is it half term"
As if school age kids are on mumsnet starting threads.
It's not witty, original or funny it's boring.

Scalottia · 26/02/2024 08:31

*Strikethrough - I hate it.

*Threads in the wrong forum/posting for traffic. Put your non-AIBU in the correct topic and not the AIBU topic!

*People quoting the OP...why do you do that? Especially long ones!

*Threads about 'what words annoy you' etc. It's always filled with the same shite like moist, picky bits etc. Go look at one of the hundreds of threads about this that already exist!

*Posters that use a . or write 'placemarking'...you do realise that there is a bookmark feature? Very handy.

*People who write 'I didn't want to read and run'. Why write anything at all?

*Why are there so many wet lettuces and martyrs on MN? Stand up for yourselves more.

I could go on.

Tessisme · 26/02/2024 08:49

I'm guilty of this sort of behaviour on threads I start. Even though I can understand that it is annoying, I feel all anxious about the need to be appreciative and welcoming as the 'hostess' of the thread. I get worried that posters will feel neglected if I don't acknowledge them.

This is why I rarely start a thread. Because I worry unduly if I haven't acknowledged every response, imagining that complete strangers on the internet will be offended if they are ignored😅 It could get a bit fraught if there are dozens of replies all happening at the same time. I'm the same when I ask a question on a Facebook group.

ShareTheDuvet · 26/02/2024 09:25

Crabble · 25/02/2024 21:52

Posters who are obviously racing to be the first to start a thread on a breaking news topic eg thread title: “Celeb x has died” and then the OP will just say “awful” or whatever

Yep, hate this!

tentonine · 26/02/2024 09:29

DoorPath · 26/02/2024 06:50

The transphobia that emboldens more bigotry in other posters.

Please give an example. I have never seen "transphobia" on mumsnet.

ShareTheDuvet · 26/02/2024 09:29

It seems to have died down a little now but there was a phase where lots of posters wanted to try and look smart by rushing into threads to claim the OP was AI, “they could tell” apparently 🙄.

Oh and posters just coming on and saying “Reverse” when it clearly isn’t 😬.

tentonine · 26/02/2024 09:34

"Trigger warnings" and "to die for"

Februaryfeels · 26/02/2024 09:36

tentonine · 26/02/2024 09:34

"Trigger warnings" and "to die for"

Mmmm. Yum

Nchanged89 · 26/02/2024 09:37

Posters who post for advice, but they don't want advice. Everything that is suggested they can't do for various reasons or just blatantly ignore it then post again and again under different names asking the same thing.

SerafinasGoose · 26/02/2024 09:49

tentonine · 26/02/2024 09:29

Please give an example. I have never seen "transphobia" on mumsnet.

Mumsnet is the only site which has consistently permitted frank discussion of issues arising when the rights of two groups conflict. That they do conflict is inevitable, because we are talking about two separate groups, with different biologies, who have faced different forms of prejudices and separate experiences on account of different socialization as 'gendered subjects' (ugh @ that phrase) and different bodily make-up.

Elsewhere, Reddit, Twitter (as was) and other online discussion forums rigorously edited and banned such content. Mums from an Australian forum wound up here because their own discussion forum had been closed down. MN was consistently infiltrated, with inflammatory threads made on FWR and their content posted online, in an attempt either to have the site closed down, censored, or at the very least have its reputation cemented as a 'hotbed of transphobia'. #NoDebate was taken to its nth degree. In no other context would such attitudes ever be deemed healthy or desirable. You know what they say about societies who start by burning books.

Concern at the rollback of women's rights is not transphobia. Concern that the dilution of language used to describe female biology and consequent uniquely female experience, is not transphobia. Recognition that women and trans women are separate groups, with different physical make-up and consequently different needs which deserve consideration on that basis, is not transphobia.

Women are angry, and in some instances undoubtedly this might be perceived as transphobia. I'm not one who 'misgenders' people. There are arguments as to why others do. In such contexts, I merely engage in linguistic contortionism to avoid use of sexed/gendered pronouns at all. That way, no one can be offended.

Trans rights activists, on the other hand, make a beeline for women. They dox. They threaten. They attempt (and have succeeded) in destroying their livelihoods. They make a particular beeline for female victims of rape and sexual assault. These activists never make a beeline for men. Men's facilities are not altered to accommodate mixed sex: women's are. Men are not put in dangerous situations in contact sports simply by virtue of their biology. Women are. Men are not reduced to the dehumanising language of their genitalia; they do not have their status as fathers downgraded. Women have become 'birthing parents'.

Transphobia is the label-non-grata: the one people apparently dread facing unless they are viewed as the interminable 'bigots'. Those insults are rapidly starting to lose impetus through overuse. Misogyny, on the other hand, is a-okay. Including, sometimes especially, coming from other women.

TLDR: long post. No apologies. This shit needs challenging where it's seen.

LovelyJubbles · 26/02/2024 09:50

I feel mean but “hand hold” winds me
up no end.

also when someone with serious symptoms posts asking if they should go to a and e (which is also slightly annoying) and posters suddenly become doctors and make decisions about sometimes life or death situations!

TheFreaksShallInheritTheEarth · 26/02/2024 09:57

@SerafinasGoose
I could only give you one "thanks", so here is another one here.

HotToes · 26/02/2024 10:26

When a post is about person A and person B and it's so obvious who the poster is.

...and clearly want you to side with them.

GloriaMundy · 26/02/2024 10:30

Posts that offer advice but state 'I mean this kindly'.

MovingBird123 · 26/02/2024 10:45

The orgy of anti-Israel lies and sudden experts who really don't know anything about the situation...

Loubilou23 · 26/02/2024 10:50

Sheep. You can guarantee that if the first couple of answers to a post are negative, the next 10 posters will post negatively and agree with those first couple of people, however when someone actually steps above the parapet and posts an alternative argument/thought, the next 10 posters will then agree with the person who had an alternative argument.