Hi all,
As most of you know we don't necessarily delete posts just because they are offensive or indeed ignorant. We do believe that Mumsnet is a discussion site and we do allow posters to express unpleasant views that we certainly don't adhere to or condone.
The title of the particular thread in question was:
AIBU to think that ADHD/ADD is a load of nonsense?
I think there's no doubt we would have deleted a thread not in AIBU, titled ADHD/ADD is a load of nonsense and just caused by bad parenting.
But there is a subtle difference we think between that kind of disablist statement and a discussion of the issue highlighting a (admittedly ignorant and bigoted) all too commonly held opinion, beginning AIBU to think and ending with a ?. I could imagine that question being posed by a member with a child with SN in order to highlight the issue themselves and we wouldn't want to delete that.
I think in this instance, given the original poster's history of posting on MN in an inflammatory way, it's a very close call as to whether we should have deleted this thread and I can see why many of you would argue that we should on the grounds of it being designed to cause offense rather than to promote discussion. We did in fact drop the poster a line yesterday with a reminder of our rules and philosophy but we did decide to let the thread stand on the grounds that it's better to educate than to sweep unpleasant views under the carpet.
I know many find this moderation stance waring however - we've been having this discussion for yonks - and we do of course sympathise with that. Our overriding philosophy is to make parents' lives easier, not the reverse. What I don't agree with is the the premise of this thread and some comments on it that suggest we are more tolerant of disablist comments than homophobic and/or racist ones. Believe me
we are regularly pulled up about similarly difficult calls about whether to allow ignorant comments about gay and lesbian people as well as racial generalisations.
All I can say is that getting the balance between wanting to allow discussion of difficult issues versus not wanting to see bigoted or offensive posts on Mumsnet is not easy and we're the first to admit that we sometimes get it wrong. We do acknowledge the strong feelings on this thread from those of you who feel we should delete more and we promise to give this further thought. Do as ever continue to let us know what you think.
Best,
MNHQ