to wonder if it's fair to go through someone's posting history?

[MoominKoalaAndMiniMoom]

I've seen a couple of threads the last few days where someone has come on and said 'i see from your posting history _', usually a not so subtle allegation of trolling.

Is this trollhunting? And I dont Know But it feels a bit rude to go onto a thread and immediately search through their posting history for something that makes them undeserving of support.

AIBU to think its a shitty thing to do?

There was a thread about this recently.
YANBU if someone is dragging something out from an old post as a means of sticking the knife in...seems really puerile

Some posters are professional troll hunters.... clearly to much time on their hands.
That said, I suppose if there are glaring anomalies then it encourages a dig around someone's posting history.

I think generally YANBU but sometimes you do get rather odd OPs and then it's kind of natural that people will check it out. And sometimes you get OPs that are actually being dishonest and getting lots of sympathy and support they don't deserve, in which case I think it's good to warn people. MN does seem to attract emotional vampires sometimes.

Or to give another example:

OP posts something her DP did which is aggravating but minor, and emphasises he's normally a lovely man. So she gets lots of supportive posts with many people saying it's a one-off, it's normal, let it go.
Then you look at history and turns out he's actually an abusive controlling jerk, in which case all the posts saying it's normal and let it go are actually helping to normalise the abuse, it's a bit dangerous. So it would actually be good if someone checks out the history and warns us.

What dreamingbohemian said

Saved me a lot of typing

It does depend on the reason for me.

It also depends how they use the information and, as a PP said, some people have way too much time on their hands ...

I've had to name change because I couldn't even post about anything banal without people bringing up past posts. It got very tedious.

If the poster posts something really goady I'll use the search function if I think I remember them posting similar stuff to inflame previously. I might then mention it or I might not. If MNHQ feel it's being abused they can act on that.

Yanbu unless you previous posted threads that deliberately inflames people. Their is always the name change function

if you think someone is trolling report to MNHQ

you know some love the drama a troll brings something that they and the troll have in common

I find it odd someone looking through history and then pulling somoen up in it even if they are apparently being helpful. they are not. if the op (like in a case of dv) is needing to make sense of something they will at some point they do not need others to do it for them

if it is a case I think I remember you maybe not blah blah .... but so often it is we told you before your dh/dp is abusive and yet you are still with him

There was a thread started the other day that was very obviously a goady troll one. I checked to see if the poster had form and it turned out to be their very first post. I didn't say anything, just hit report. It was zapped in seconds so I reckon others must have done the same as me.

I think it's pretty shitty to trawl through posting history just to have a go at someone who is disagreeing with you on a current thread.

I don't usually clock usernames, I just respond to the post, not the poster.

Other people doing has been useful to me. I remember one where someone posted something fairly innocuous about her H and everyone piled in to say, "it's fine". She was actually being horribly abused and in denial. That was done to be kind. When it's done to be unkind is the issue for me.

Yanbu there are many unpleasant people that go through your post history just to be a cunt.

Ah yeah I understand why its good when its a thread that could be about abuse.

Its more the ones where someone needs support, and someone posts a snarky post along the lines of 'ooh, OP, you do have a stressful life don't you, in this thread the other day you said '.

Just nasty imo.

The only times I check posting history, are as above when the OP is trying to present a minor issue in an otherwise abusive relationship in isolation, and when people come on wailing about how poor they are and what shall they do - and it is looking like people are about to suggest some kind of MN rally round.

Now admittedly that latter does happen far, far less than it used to, or it seems that way - but I am still always very wary having seen people get badly burned in the past.