What's your initial reaction to this story?

[chaosisawayoflife]

I don't know if my campacity for compassion has been adversely affected by forums/trolls etc, so please tell me what your initial reaction would be to reading this story on a forum.

Most of this is posted by the husband.

Mother currently in hospital having given birth to 4th child 2 months early.

Father concerned about 3rd child, temp etc. Eventually takes him to hospital, diagnosed with meningitis.

Father's brother dies in a car accident.

It's the 2nd anniversary of his father's death and 7th anniversary of sister's death. Dead brother's wife died 6 months ago.

Later on same day or possibly next day 3rd child with meningitis dies.

This is all posted about immediately, by either father or mother. Also in the middle of this there is a change of heart about new babies name and they ask advice on what to name her.

What is your gut reaction to hearing this?
AIBU to be screaming troll at my computer?

[PeachesandStrawberry]

Either way I feel sorry for them.

If it is true they need all the compassion they can get.

If not then they need help as well.

[AgentZigzag]

I wondered that Peering, but different people come on at different times, and if there's a lot of flaming going on people might not feel comfortable posting that they disagree.

I don't think you can see MN as a singular entity.

[AgentZigzag]

Nobody in their right mind is going to make up stuff like that are they?

I couldn't think of anything worse than posting a load of lies to suck people in, knowing that those posters may be vulnerable themselves.

[Blanchet]

Blatantly a troll.

Honestly, you would be so surprised at what people will make up. I used to lurk at a forum whose moderators and members could find out trolls with an MI5 style precision (not just unravelling their story but finding hard evidence). "Misery trolls" were a popular genre, usually posing as bereaved parents . Some of them were very prolific and once found out, they would turn out to have been all over the internet, posting variations on the same theme.

A massive red flag is the "husband" and "wife" both posting to "keep the forum updated" with the trials and tribulations of the other. It's a classic; like faked suicides where a "friend" feels the need to log on to their favourite website just to let the regulars know.

Ugh. Why do I know so much about this stuff??

[amothersplaceisinthewrong]

Trip Trap is my initial reaciont

[onlyjoking9329]

it does sound like an awfulb lot of stuff, it might be true it might not, i would not comment if i was unsure its very hurtful when something bad happens and someone yells troll.

[bronze]

sad either way

[expatinscotland]

I think I'd cut that whole saga a very wide berth and just ignore it entirely.

[DancingOnMyBladder]

I saw this too and the first thing that made me wonder how true it all was, was the hubby coming on within 2 or 3 hours of DC3's death with a ticker..... 0 days since XXXX died (or words to that effect).

Now IF it were true and IF you were simply coming back online to update concerned friends of the sad news ..... would you really be out trawling for a ticker???????

[BitOfFun]

I don't think he mentioned the actual death either. It was announced via ticker. Nowt so queer as folk.

[ItsGraceActually]

Ooh, Blanchet: "I used to lurk at a forum whose moderators and members could find out trolls with an MI5 style precision". It wasn't TMO by any chance, was it?
Just having a moment of forum nostalgia. I loved TMO ...

[Blanchet]

I don't know what TMO is, so that's a no...