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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask why anyone would be a 'troll' and start a completely false thread?

59 replies

inlovewithhubby · 12/05/2016 21:40

That, basically. Was just reading the £3000 holiday to Scotland nonsense when mumsnet deleted it. What do these people achieve? Can't be notoriety as they are anonymous. What could anyone possibly get out of making this sort of shit up?

OP posts:
katemiddletonsnudeheels · 15/05/2016 07:55

I recently read a Sophie Hannah book about pathological lying, and it does fit many of 'our' trolls.

Of course, not all of them - many are just bored, and not all of them ARE trolls.

However a few seem to fit the wiki definition.

AllMyBestFriendsAreMetalheads · 15/05/2016 08:00

I think there are two types of troll. There are other forums/groups who like to 'invade' other forums for trolling purposes, posting bollocks and/or just trying to start a bunfight. MN is a prime target for this as we're women with opinions so obviously we need to be shown our place or some such crap.

Then there are the liars who may or may not have sinister motives. It's all about the attention for both groups IMO but just different intents.

crankyblob · 15/05/2016 08:05

X2boys missing point too but haven here also! We wanted a particular site and this was the cheapest option Shock

Izzabellasasperella · 15/05/2016 08:08

I couldn't understand why that poster added the 3000 for the trip. That set my and many others trolldar off.It was a pretty poor attempt anyway, I like a bit ofShock orGrin in troll threads.

RuthyToothy · 15/05/2016 08:12

I reckon it's on the back of the whole 'cancel the cheque' publicity

Yep, every desperado under the sun is going to want to be the next big Daily Fail copy & paste job Hmm

There's a massive thread over on the Relationships board that was locked last night until the OP could explain something or other

That one had really started to stink. Classic troll error: escalate the action too quickly for fear of losing your audience, whilst ignoring the many requests to explain the gigantic holes in the plot.

x2boys · 15/05/2016 08:13

Wass that Sperm donor thread a troll one ?too I know real life is sometimes stranger then fiction but that got a bit ludicrous.I can well believe that crankyblob,I was Shock when I saw some of the prices .

Silvercatowner · 15/05/2016 08:15

The pearl clutching and outrage on Mumsnet at quite reasonable threads is often hilarious - I can quite see why posters start 'troll' threads. Perhaps there is a troll community somewhere whose mission is to see how far Mumsnetters can be wound up.

RuthyToothy · 15/05/2016 08:17

Perhaps there is a troll community somewhere whose mission is to see how far Mumsnetters can be wound up

I've heard in the past that there are a few forums where us a well-known 'hobby' to pop over to MN & try to get a reaction. I barely believe anything on here now Sad

NoSpamPam · 15/05/2016 08:17

Needaclevernn Why the fuck do you think depression has to do with trolling? That's seriously insulting and very ignorant of you. R u trolling?

andadietcoke · 15/05/2016 08:18

My problem is I dip in and out so without a thread like this don't even realise they were bollocks all along. The Scotland one seemed disproportionate, and the one that was locked last night was escalating very quickly - definitely agree with the PP that that's typical troll behaviour.

AllMyBestFriendsAreMetalheads · 15/05/2016 08:23

I'm sure I saw a webpage once that was entitled 'how to troll mumsnet' or something.

katemiddletonsnudeheels · 15/05/2016 08:24

No, x2, it was deleted because it turned into a bun fight. I reported it as I was concerned but MN said it was above board.

PollyPerky · 15/05/2016 08:24

There was someone who added a ranty post to the Menopause forum last week (where I hang out too much!), giving details about her degree Hmm and ranting about her symptoms and how they affected her DH etc etc, some of which didn't completely stack up. I tried to help, asked a few genuine questions and she's never come back. New poster, no user history under that name. I mean why? Just why?

x2boys · 15/05/2016 08:28

Ah right Kate it was odd I.missed the end though not surprised it was deleted tbh .

crankyblob · 15/05/2016 08:41

It's all strange to me. I joined MN originally in 2003 when it was the early days and never heard of such things as trolls or reverse threads!

When I returned a year or so back it took me a while to work out the troll/reverse/delete for a bun fight threads Grin I even thought the daily mail was an informative tabloid which I now know is a MAJOR MN faux pas Grin

I think most of AIBU has an element of untruth

x2boys · 15/05/2016 08:51

I can't get too worked up about the daily mail tbh I read it even though it is very right winged but it balances out the very left winged views on here Grin

RuthyToothy · 15/05/2016 08:56

I can't get too worked up about the daily mail tbh I read it even though it is very right winged but it balances out the very left winged views on here

Absolutely. It's particular brand of body-shaming misogyny is especially helpful in reminding women of their true worth in society.

wasonthelist · 15/05/2016 09:06

I missed cancel the cheque.......someone fill me in!......pretty please

The original thread was a poster who claimed they'd sent £100 cheque as a wedding gift and had a letter back moaning that it wasn't enough. About 23 million people on the thread (and on 7000 other threads) suggested the OP should cancel the cheque.

Apparently the Daily Heil used it as a "news story" for their shitrag.

Dangerouswoman · 15/05/2016 09:09

I wonder if there is an element of truth in a lot of troll threads and then it's exaggerated and embellished as it goes along.

NarpIsNotACunt · 15/05/2016 09:10

Research

Power

Revenge

Boredom

Attention

Mental illness

wasonthelist · 15/05/2016 09:11

I can't get too worked up about the daily mail tbh I read it

Inspite of being a stinking old trot, it's not the right wing fascism that I object to - it's the lies they print and never apologise about unless they absolutely have to. They printed a story about a Srilankan bloke on hunger strike, claiming the cops were bringing him Maccy Ds. It was a lie, but they had to be taken to court before they issued a tiny grudging apology. It was featured on a TV documentary - and even at the end of that the TV folks had to include a little statement at the end due to the Heil's expensive lawyers. They are pure scum.

x2boys · 15/05/2016 09:12

Quite possibly Dangerous ,as I said dsil used to lie all the time in real life her stories normally had a grain of truth in them but she would embillish them so much that they ended up as complete bollocks .

x2boys · 15/05/2016 09:13

I,m not defending the mail but all papers lie .

Gowgirl · 15/05/2016 09:13

Thanks wasonthelist I did read that one , didn't realise it had got big...there are far more interesting threads on here they could pick up on!Grin

wasonthelist · 15/05/2016 09:18

I,m not defending the mail but all papers lie .

Well, I think you clearly are defending the Heil. So, apart from the lies, the body-shaming misogyny and the extremist right wing politics, what else do you like about it?

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