AIBU to think the foul language and vulgar tone of these threads is just too much

[onceamai]

During the last few days the foul language, just a quick skim through the AIBU headings reveals such awful words, has been such that I don't think I will be coming back again too often. Mumsnet - Middle Class - Parenting orientated - really, is it really? Vulgar, nasty, ill mannered, spring more easily to mind. What a shame.

Animation - I dunno. I'm trying to figure it out.

Trying too hard to be what? This isn't fifth form, where saying a swear word is "naughty." It's perfectly legal, no-one is going to come along and tell us off for it, no-one thinks they're "cool."

Like I've said before, I judge posters on their eloquence, swearing or not. I'd rather see a clever post peppered with fucks and shits than some of the badly-written shite that passes for posts around here, sans swearing. It has no bearing on the intellect of the writer, either. To assume that is just thick and small-minded.

Right well I'll just have to run out an get one of those

Morning.

As you may have noticed, we deleted a fair few posts on this thread last night.

Just in case you've never read our Talk Guidelines (please do!) and are wondering why some posts were deleted and others weren't, here's a handy summary.

We don't routinely delete posts that contain swearwords, unless it's all truly beyond the pale.

But we do delete personal attacks - including, obviously, personal attacks that use swearwords.

We also have to hold our hands up and say our initial response to reports about this thread was wrong. It's obviously not a thread started as a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek thing - and many of the subsequent posts were personal attacks on the OP, Vagabond and AnyFucker, which should have been deleted more rapidly that they were.

Apols to all who reported this thread to us last night - and got the wrong response. We should have mailed you all back to hold our hands up to our mistake but we were rather busy pressing the delete button instead.

yes and idiot can write wanker but can any idiot write cunty bottom poppet.

Swearing at someone just isn't on- there is no need for it; if you cannot argue coherently then perhaps your position is indefensible?

Swearing to reinforce something is fine, or to express extreme relief.

Swearing gratuitously is just childish, and makes you look like a gibbering idiot.

MN is just ridiculous at the moment- reminds me of the cod's challenge days... I hope people are still getting the support and advice they need somewhere on the boards, though chat, aibu are best avoided it seems.

I got deleted by MNHQ and I wasn't even swearing or insulting anyone. I just paraphrased what the by now infamous first poster wrote, when they were extremely offensive and name calling the OP. I said it was childish, and I got deleted!

I'm sort of coming round to the fact that some posters enjoy swearing, they think it's fun and they think it's funny. That is all

I had a big clash recently with 3 guys on a music forum for using explicit nobs on the brain kind talk ALL the bleeding time. Kids go on this forum and I was REALLY bothered about it. I got flamed of course.

But in the end - after 6 months - they toned it down - and I'm OK with them now.

explicit nobs on the brain kind talk

Wassat?!

@JoniRules

I got deleted by MNHQ and I wasn't even swearing or insulting anyone. I just paraphrased what the by now infamous first poster wrote, when they were extremely offensive and name calling the OP. I said it was childish, and I got deleted!

Yes, you did say it was childish, JoniRules. But you also repeated the personal attack word for word - we reckoned deleting the original PA would be kind of pointless if we let repetition of the PA stand.

Oh - and please let us know (by reporting them) if you think we have missed any posts that break our Guidelines. It was quite late when we started pressing the big red button, so it's quite possible we might have missed some.

So, this turned out to be a real bitchfest, eh?

Who would have thought....

swearing is funny - really? Most of the time I find it rather childish, the resort of people who don't have anything better to say. The posts peppered with swear words aren't generally the eloquent ones. Occasionally it may be funny but most of the time it's just a bore.

Hully, I don't like swearing in manes and titles because, as I said, I don't like it shoved in my face. I find swearing in names and thread titles equivalent to standing in a crowded high street shouting, for example, "cunt" repeatedly and as loud as possible. I am more than happy to use swearwords in a conversation.

However, I say What, not pardon, can't stand rubbish such as Little Britain (or Casualty for that matter) and have neither steam mop nor splatter guard.

Hullygully - by 'nobs on the brain' I was referring to these three guys on this music forum who were ALWAYS making some reference to the penis and sex acts with men, women, animals or inanimate objects - everything you said got turned around with this kind of innuendo. It got very oppressive, like a power thing and really started to piss me off.

You're wrong, ellis.

Some of the most eloquent posters on here are swearers.

Are you seriously telling me that swearing/not swearing is the barometer of intellect? If so, someone had better have a word with all of those authors/film makers/playwrights etc who enjoy a good eff and jeff now and then.

See, it is interestin' innit, all our very personal threshholds?

yawn ellis thats about the 14th time someone has said that dont you have something better to say or cant you put it more eloquently. at least the ones with some unusual interesting swear words dont make me yawn and arnt rote knee jerk reactions.
come on let rip you might like it.

I don't get this "you have nothing better to say" argument, anyway.

It's not like we're employing swear words in lieu of actual words. More often than not, they're used to accentuate or express an emotion. It's not like anyone comes on here and writes a series of expletives in place of an actual post. They're just a colourful addition to someone's post.

It's a rotten argument and you need to come up with something better than that, really. It's not very convincing.

Bubcakessndcunting - I don't take too much notice of typos, spelling mistakes etc, my posts are generally awful due to typing on the run etc, I judge posts by the general content - if the poster is swearing a lot I stop reading. I really find some swear words offensive and I'll never change. Having said that, I wouldn't want moderators or swear filters, but I'd like posters to be a bit less free with the bad language - especially in names and thread titles.

Helen, it's good to actually get some input from the Mumsnet team....

As someone said...I don't think people object to the odd swear word being thrown into a comment...but to swear for swearing's sake just seems really juvenile and does NOTHING for the reputation of this site...which is already fairly tarnished (as observed on google before I joined recently).

I do think there needs to be a little more moderation myself (but then again I don't own the site). Swearing in opening posts just puts me right off...and I think from now I'll maybe avoid those.

Again...thanks for the input. It's nice to know that the team actually do look in from time to time and that it's not a total free for all here.

@BeerTricksPotter

Has swearing been banned?

Nope. See our post at 10.29am.

That's a shame, Primal. You might be missing out on a lot of good posts because you "switch off" because your brain doesn't like swearing.

I think I'm the only one who came out of this debacle well.

I hope you have all had time to reflect upon this diem horribilis.