Mumsnet things that make me not to want to help. Or even engage…

[CurlewKate]

“His hobby” “Person A and person B” Or even worse “Person A-let’s call them Sid”

This also in the sense of "how do you know?"

They say "no one I know uses a toilet brush"

I want to say "how do you know, have you visited the bathroom of every single person you know (including colleagues, school gate acquaintances, your doctor, dentist)"

Ect anywhere.
Starting the OP with So.
Ending it with Right.

Yes, the ‘they’ thing is really irritating although the OP nearly always forgets at some point & uses the correct pronoun.

As for A & B, it’s always obvious which one the OP is.

Yes this, and also how often is it truly necessary to tell a complicated story involving more than you and max 2 other characters on the thread? Maybe it's me but when I see a block of text with things like 'person A says this but then person B says that and person C disagrees and person D didn't understand' or 'Anna is best friends with Beryl but Carol doesn't like Denise and Emma winds them all up' I just get bamboozled and know I'm probably not going to be able to follow or offer much useful, whereas if the long and complicated story was distilled into 'I'm trying to arrange a group outing but all my friends have different preferences and can't agree' or 'There's been a big fallout between my two best friends and I'm feeling very awkward' I'd personally find it a lot more engaging. I know, I know, other posters will always pile in wanting more detail or accusing of drip feeding if you do that so I guess I must be in the minority but I just can't get on with overly long and complicated OPs!

Ah, I've just realised that I may have misunderstood what some people were objecting to with the A, B, C thing.

I assumed it was when people were referring to a group of friends or colleagues etc. on an equal footing; I totally agree when the OP is one of the letters... and it IS always very obvious from how it's written!

"Two parents, A & B, are disagreeing about how much chocolate their 3yo DD should be allowed. A is concerned about her health and her teeth, and that she should be taught the importance of a balanced diet with treats in moderation. B would happily let her eat 40 Mars Bars a day instead of any actual meals, and can't see any issue whatsoever with this, as at least she's eating what she enjoys, even if it almost certainly means that she won't ever live to see a double-figure age."

Yeah, you're never in a million years going to be B, are you, OP?!!

A and B is only ever 2 people, one of them being OP.

Yup. TLAs are a right PITA.

“He has 3 kids, I have 3 kids and we have one together” why is my SD acting out?!!

Absolutely spot on! Not just on MN though, ads do this all the time. These days we all want to..

Then like you say some idiot in an office somewhere makes a decision based on 'everybody'. I randomly pay for things in cash, only places I shop regularly just to keep them on their toes. As long as enough people do it they will think not everyone taps. Same with QR codes in restaurants, because I despise them, I ask for a menu or pretend I don't have a phone or know how to use a QR code. The more people push back the left these things will come into use, obviously if you like that then it's ok but if you don't you have to show it.

Posters creating multiple threads cos they got their arse handed to them in the first one.

Posters claiming they are being bullied when they don’t like other opinions (usually correct and in the majority)

It's the poor reading comprehension and subsequent putting words in poster's mouths that's driving me nuts. I just can't be bothered anymore.

Poster: I like cheese
Poster 2: So you think people with dairy allergies aren't important

OP: I have two children, 11 and 12
Reply: How old are your children?

Mine is very specific about responses. Someone replies several generic replies in with a really good post about relevant legislation or something everyone else has missed, then the next post will also say this, clearly copied, and no one ever acknowledges the person that raised it.

like

bla
bla
bla
have you considered section x of act y might apply and actually you should z
next posters copy this suggestion

I read "everyone I know will have paid off their mortgage by the time they are 50" recently.

It was exactly this - how do you know?

How do all these people know themselves, especially the ones a long way from 50 and hoping to buy a bigger property in a few years, whether they'll remortgage when they earn more and perhaps want to borrow more. How do they know what might change.

But really just how do you know their financial arrangements. How do you even know whether everyone you know even has a mortgage or is renting but might plan to get a mortgage later?

Everyone you know/ nobody you know does or has xyz - not just your parents, siblings and closest friends but your neighbours, all your colleagues, your children's friends' parents, your children's teachers or nursery workers, the nice lady who always seems to be on the till at Sainsbury's when you do the weekly shop/ your Ocado delivery driver, your regular postman/ woman...

Those are people who are accidentally on MN when they thought they'd opened Reddit I think...

I agree. I really hate the ‘let’s call them …. puts me off the thread. Some OP’s can put what seems like the entire alphabet in their post too, and that’s equally off putting. I’ve never come across so many people who have hobbies either, especially given their existence is so toxic as to require threads to sort out the negative effect they have on people’s lives.

I have suspected quite a few OPs to be AI lately. Today I read an article on Substack about the writer finding a chat saved on her boyfriend’s laptop, where he had put all his doubts about his feelings for her into chat gpt and asking relationship advice. It was bizarrely like a MN post I read recently, even down to details like one of the things he’d said he disliked was her hair was in poor condition. Made me think people are chucking things like that article into AI to generate MN posts for some time wasting reason.

Like the even more irritating ones who use AITA instead of AIBU.

It's so weird. Facebook posts being AI is irritating enough, but presumably people are kidding themselves they can make money... or they actually manage to make money from them. Why would someone even bother for MN though? Yet it definitely happens.

When they can't even bother to spell the headline correctly 😭

Yes.

Things aren't what they used to be when all this was fields...

I used to avoid clickbait / made up shit, but now I find those threads the most entertaining!

Loving the one atm about the 50 year-old who recently became a prostitute and whose clients are good-looking 30 year-old professionals who pay £140 for a shag in the middle of the day (OP doesn’t work evenings). Oh and she’s gained 2 sugar daddies in her first month who love to buy her gifts.

I was honestly hooked throughout!

Oh yes I forgot toilet brushes!

And talking of toilets, workmen leaving a mess & a smell. Never happened to me. But then I have a toilet brushes people can use.

Line eyes.

I am 4 weeks pregnant (you're really not, it's just a late period at this point).

I'm pregnant, DH already has 2 dc, how quickly can I reclaim their bedroom at our house to make a nursery?

I can't afford childcare to work, but yet I continue to have more children.

I'm in a blended family and keep having more dc even though it's making everyone miserable.

I'm sure I'll think of more.

Oh no murasaki I have to disagree. :) There was poster a few years ago who said she had an outing hobby.

She eventually spilled and it was indeed very outing!! It was something like, 18th Century French Baroque String Music Club!!

Too late to edit previous post but have to admit it’s the only outing hobby I’ve seen on here in over 20 years!!