to think I should not be threatened with a ban for questioning the use of offensive language?

[thefirstMrsDeVere]

I am a member of a very heavily moderated website. Swearing is not allowed at all, threads are pulled regularly if people are mean to each other, not threads about threads are tolerated and you are not allowed to mention anything said before on the boards at all. All these things will result in deletion and warnings.

I have been a member for years (before mumsnet even). There was a particularly nasty thread that was allowed to go on for pages which ended with a woman referring to children with LDs as 'being tapped in the head'..

I started a seperate thread wanting to discuss the use of disabilist language on the site and asking why words like bitch, whore and piss were not allowed yet retard, mong and spaz were.

I was told that some people might think it was ok to use those words so they couldnt filter them out, it wouldnt be fair.

I continuned to question this in a firm but polite manner and have now discovered I have been sent a message telling me that my style of posting is offensive and I have been taken straight to a final warning!

Not that I give a toss, the site is crap. I guess I am taken aback that you can be pretty much threatened into silence if you dare question the mods on this HUGE and well known site.

Its an issue that means a lot to me. If it was a site on which everything went language wise I wouldnt have bothered. But on this prissy site where you cant say bugger - you can call something retarded or monged out with no bother.

I think its bollocks and makes me glad I have mumsnet to come and tell people to fuck off on.

just catching up on the NM thing - I can't believe the opinion of Jo F - she actually believes that people with learning difficulties are retarded and are therefore retards.

she can't grasp the fact that it's the brain/condition that's retarded, not the person.

they have retarded developement, they are not retarded.
:(

I've reported her anyway.

Ah but Maryz, chink does have other legitimate meanings (while "chinky" doesn't) - you can have a chink in the curtains, the chink of china clattering together etc.

I know that one of those NMers was trying to say the same about the word "retarded" - and yes it does mean slowed, or developmentally delayed - but these meanings are still related to the primary meaning that is objectionable in this day and age, when related to human beings.

Loks like George Orwell was right after all - just a few years out with his predictions.

The mods on now so expect it will disappear any minute.

Only read OP (sorry, one of my pet hates but there are limits :o) and three things come to mind:

1. Very relieved you're not talking about MN
2. IDIOTS
3. Any time you're not spending there is presumably time you're spending here, so good :)

How strange - there appears to be a problem with the page...

As predicted, it's gone

But yet Netmums on twitter " loved the online photo gallery highlighting the lives of people with a learning disability from Mencap"

My tweet " but yet you allow your members to use derogatory, offensive and disablist words to describe the very same people in that gallery"

I'm hoping Mencap will see it and take a closer look at Netmums.

Well well, what a surprise. Gagging the objectors again. :(

It must have been pulled a very short time ago, I've just been looking at it - I've still got it open on another tab

What will they see, though, TimeforMe? NM keep deleting anything referring to the situation.

Apparently if you put a # rather than a @ before the name it cannot be deleted. Unless I have misunderstood. We could always tweet Mencap direct, although the thread has gone now

It has gone, wtf? there was nothing on there apart from discussion was there?

Poor show that mods haven't appeared anywhere today to speak for themselves or their site.

I made Nicky Clark aware and it seems she saw the thread before it went poof. Her response "pretty ridiculous comments on there. Netmums need much stronger moderation and to appreciate disablism as real xx"

Much stronger moderation in the right area, yes.

Timeforme, sorry, I forgot that you were talking about Twitter. You are right, things can't be deleted from Twitter, if my understanding is correct; but the NM site itself is going to be conspicuously free of anything contentious about this subject.

I tweeted on the Mencap site in reply to the Netmums crawling tweet so hopefully those at Mencap will have seen it

pretty disgusted that they deleted the free speech thread. aside from the one random nutter, there was an interesting and valid discussion there.

remembering why i don't go to there now!

Well, so much for free speech eh? Free to speak as long as it suits Netmums.

Apparently if you want to know why a thread has been removed you should post here perhaps we should all do as they ask

I reported that random nutter - I wonder if they delete thread rather than posts.

I've seen where they delete certain posts on a thread (usually when it gets bitchy) so it is done on individual posts.
I reported the random nutter too.

I have asked the question why. Will see if they respond.