What qualifies as 'flouncing off' a thread

[Fallingovercliffs]

Sometimes I will just quietly leave a thread if I feel it's getting hysterical, someone is resorting to personal insults, or that the loonies have taken over he asylum. Once or twice I have (politely I think) said something like 'As this is obviously going nowhere and you're determined to twist my words I'm not willing to engage anymore' and been accused of 'flouncing off'. So where does the line lie between explaining the reason why you're not going to respond anymore and being seen to flounce off the thread because the other poster isn't agreeing with you?

That should have been 'the' asylum, by the way .

I think making the 'I'm leaving' announcement counts as flouncing. It is suggestive of an overactive ego.

Most people would just quietly forget the thread, without feeling the need to announce it.

I also think that your 'loonies' terminology is going to bite you on the backside.

I tend to just click hide and forget about it.

I think an announcement such as 'You're all fucking twisting my words. I'm not staying to listen to this any longer' is a standard example of flounce.

The above coupled with a few returns to the thread to re-flounce eg. 'oh and by the way I'm reporting X, Y and Z for saying such horrible, nasty things too' or 'I suppose MN really is as bitchy as the papers say. This time I'm really leaving' just in case everyone missed the first flounce are proper flouncy flouncers.

If a thread Goes Bad, I just leave it well alone. Or hide it. Announcements about leaving will almost always be interpreted as a flounce. Also, I take the view that it is a thread on an internet forum, not a dinner party. So there's no requirement to excuse your absence. Let alone throw the metaphorical napkin across a crowded table and storm off before pudding.

Yes, the only way not to flounce off is just to stop posting.

I think if I were flouncing off, I'd add a PA following my reason for going! That makes it an 'up yours' flounce, rather than an 'it's not fair' flounce. (Imo!)

I usually flounce I mean bow out quietly, if it is something where I feel there is nothing more to be said, or the OP is ignoring all posts, unless they are exactly what he/ she wants to hear. I sometimes hide threads when it is a topic that is upsetting, to me, for personal reasons.

Flouncing is usually when someone makes a deeply passive-aggressive big deal about why they're leaving.

"I'm hiding this thread because I'm being attacked, slandered and victimised by CERTAIN people (mentioning no names because I'm better than that) bla de bla de bla." Then goes on to drop massive hints about who has attacked, slandered or victimised them, so there's zero fucking doubt who it supposedly was (it was usually someone saying something honest that the OP didn't want to hear).

"loonies have taken over he asylum"
when people say vile stuff like this.
people find it offensive
so say so and that they are hiding the thread in disgust.

(thanks op for a usable example )

I'd agree that the flounce lies in announcing your exit, rather than just leaving. I'd suggest that a true flounce only really happens on threads where everyone (EVERYONE) disagrees with the OP, and they refuse to listen to reason. It's a less flouncey flounce if the discussion just takes a bit of nosedive and the OP decides to call it a day.

I'm not even going to bother defending myself here - mumsnet at its worst.

Thanks for the clarifications. I've only once or twice said I'm leaving a thread and that was only to one particular poster who I'd got into a ridiculous and dead end argument or where that poster was resorting to personal insults.
Usually, I just leave and absorb myself in another thread. What about flouncer's corner? What's that about?

Flouncers corner is leaving mn for good. Or at least a long while.

If people say they are hiding a thread, that is fairly indicative of a flounce from the thread, I think.

Any sort of announcement that you're leaving comes across as a flounce. Even more so if you repeat yourself until someone comments. Bonus drama points if you come back, 25 minutes later, anyway, repeat everything you've already said, then re-announce your departure from the thread.

Just close the page and hide the thread, ffs.

I've sometimes left Mumsnet for a while, if I've felt it's going through a particularly nasty phase or I'm spending too much time on it. Never felt the need to announce it though. Just leave and come back on, often with a new name, when I feel the urge.

The flounciest flouncer always have an army of supporters agreeing with them via PM because they daren't post on the thread of fear of being attacked. They may even come back as one of those supporters, often to point out the error of everyone's ways for doing such an awful thing to Flouncerina when her DD's best friend's cousin's beloved goldfish has just died and you vipers have no idea how awful it is to be so viciously attacked when they're so fragile, already.

Actually I saw a classic case of that on a thread the other day ouryve. At least 80% of posters totally disagreed with the OP, but apparently loads of posters were pming her to tell her not to mind all those nasty drama queens telling her she WBU .

.

ouryve I can't believe I forgot about bonus drama! Yes! Extra points when the flouncer revisits the thread to repeat themselves due to lack of attention

It's a shame that Encyclopedia Dramatica is down yet again, otherwise I'd link to its flouncing entry.