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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask you about suspicious threads

87 replies

FallenThroughTheRabitHole · 27/04/2015 18:46

I probably shouldn't have NC but I have. But I've noticed lately a great deal of threads that for one reason or another just seem odd. I know it's best to report a thread if in doubt but some threads either seem attention seeking or just down right improbable. This seems to be especially rife on AIBU. Am I alone in thinking this?

OP posts:
mrsfuzzy · 27/04/2015 18:52

why name change ? i think like you that some are a bit iffy but then there are some very iffy people about !

LikeIcan · 27/04/2015 18:57

Hold the front page!

Some things on the internet might not be true. Shock

GoStraightGoStraight · 27/04/2015 19:00

Nothing new there then! There have been decidedly iffy and suspect threads since time immemorial. There are a lot of loons and fantasists out there.

ToadsJustFellFromTheSky · 27/04/2015 19:00

Some things on the internet might not be true.

Grin
Favouritethings · 27/04/2015 19:01

Hope mines not one of these threads? I've literally just worded it badly. Posted in haste and wasn't thinking straight.

finnbarrcar · 27/04/2015 19:03

Lots of people troll on here. It gets easier to spot as the years go by. Goady fuckers and frothing berserkers are pretty obvious. It's the more subtle ones you have to watch out for

SometimesTables · 27/04/2015 19:03

There seems to be loads of troll threads at the moment.

FenellaFellorick · 27/04/2015 19:05

Nope.

But it's not any different tonight than any other night.

It's always like this. Just have to sift through the crap and find those bits that are fab.

MrsPeabody · 27/04/2015 19:07

I have no idea as I have no radar for suspicious threads.

What's that on my forehead? Hmm, I think it says gullible. Smile

shewept · 27/04/2015 19:07

If I am a bit suspicious, but not sure I would report and hide the thread. I think there are obvious trolls, subtle trolls then there are the much more subtle attention seekers. After a while you can kind of spot them, especially if you recognise the name. Usually the subtle trolls, usually trip themselves up with a few posts.

As a side note, i am off to find what thread favourite is talking about Grin

WhoNickedMyName · 27/04/2015 19:08

Why have you namechanged for this? Confused

Original poster
FallenThroughTheRabitHole · 27/04/2015 19:08

It's not so much that something on the internet might not be true but just of all the aibu there's probably only a handful of genuine threads. Everything else is just someone with a lot of spare time or an axe to grind. There's an illustration I wanted to post, basically someone saying "Wait!! I can't come to bed yet!! Someone on the internet is wrong!!" while furiously typing away. It just strikes me as odd.

OP posts:
Original poster
FallenThroughTheRabitHole · 27/04/2015 19:11

WhoNickedMyName because you nicked my name Wink

OP posts:
Favouritethings · 27/04/2015 19:11

Haha shewept it's the have I left it too late thread. If anyone can explain to me how to change the op I'd be very grateful, genuinely hadn't meant to get anyone's backs up, I posted in haste

finnbarrcar · 27/04/2015 19:12

That meme's been around for years. I remember someone posting it to lighten up a very heated debate on digital spy about 5 years ago. It'll always strike a chord.

CaspianSea · 27/04/2015 19:20

I tend to believe them all to start with, though I get suspicious when people start shouting 'reverse'. How do you spot a fake thread or a troll? Or a reverse thread?

I get frustrated when I believe in a thread and argue on it, only for it to be deleted! Sometimes they just vanish suddenly which is annoying. Why would someone invent a fake thread anyway? Which active ones do you think are fake at the moment?

Koalafications · 27/04/2015 19:24

I have no idea why on earth you would need to NC for this... Hmm Confused

OrlandoWoolf · 27/04/2015 19:26

Why would someone invent a fake thread anyway

Now that is a question worthy of a thesis.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 27/04/2015 19:32

Some of them are quite entertaining though. Even the batshit ones

OrlandoWoolf · 27/04/2015 19:34

I bet I could start a thread that is guaranteed to be unreasonable. I think parking or driving would be good. Possibly about people on benefits.

I would then add more detail and make me sound more of a shit.

Then say it was a joke Grin

DoraGora · 27/04/2015 19:34

Because they're bored and can't think of anything better to do.

Stanky · 27/04/2015 19:58

I've posted genuine things in the past, which were difficult to talk about. I got shot down for being suspicious. I gave up. The fake people ruin it for people with genuine concerns.

ToadsJustFellFromTheSky · 27/04/2015 20:12

I've posted genuine things in the past, which were difficult to talk about. I got shot down for being suspicious.

I was accused of being a troll by several posters when I was seeking advice on an abusive ex who was threatening me. I know it's just words on a screen but that was upsetting.

Anniegetyourgun · 27/04/2015 20:25

The ones that disappear suddenly aren't always fake. They may disappear because the OP made a good case to have it withdrawn, or it got rather fighty and in the end it was easier to zap the whole thing than every other post.

I don't believe that only a handful of threads on AIBU are genuine, but it does depend what you mean by genuine. Some of them aren't about much in particular (I started one once about marmite on toast - could I have been lying when I said I liked it? Would it have mattered if I did?). Others may be mainly true but exaggerated for effect. Some, of course, are deliberate parody eg people starting AIBUs from the point of view of various fictional characters. Just try not to take any of it too seriously but help if you think help may be needed. After all, the poster may not be telling the truth, but there may be people reading who are in a similar situation who don't feel able to post themselves.

(Wish I could say something sanctimonious here about troll hunting but I cannot tell a lie, I have done it and on rare occasions been deleted for it. Mainly with goady fuckers rather than fantasists though. I do try not to these days.)

Anniegetyourgun · 27/04/2015 20:28

Oh, and sometimes they get moved to another topic, perhaps with an amended title so you might not spot them again. Those are slightly more likely to be on the level because MN Towers may have cast a beady eye on them before agreeing to move the thread.