does it bother you that men use this site also?

[SomethingLike]

Sometimes very female skewed things are discussed and I can't help feeling slightly uncomfortable when I read: "Male perspective here..."

I'm sure I am BU but does anyone else feel the same? I am struggling to put into words why it bothers me but it does.

I am a man. I joined to play Mornington Crescent. I understand anyone being offended if I pretended to be a woman, but otherwise, why not be a part of the site?

most respected male posters on here have never posted 'from a male perspective'. They are openly male, by dent of their nickname. That honesty says a lot to me about the poster, whether I agree with them or not.

So should all women avoid "misleading" nicknames? Surely by having an openly male nickname they are always announcing that is it from a male perspective purely because they've made it clear that they are male.

YABU, I like the fact men are interested enough to come on here. It's anonymous anyway so if they read about my boobs or Mooncup, wgaf?

So do some women, Julia.

Some people are arseholes, but the male ones are not arseholes because they are men - they'd be arseholes whatever gender they were.

I get the feeling that some men come onto mumsnet just to take the piss.

So exactly like some women then?

Don't care.
I am a member of one women only group online (although our definition of women likely doesn't fit with that of many vocal posters on here, as we're not transphobic) so if I feel the need for women only discussion I can go there. Mumsnet is too big. Whatever the origins it's just really a general chat board now isn't it?

I may have been guilty of this, I think it's more a problem with wording than anything else;

'A' male perspective here

is better than;

Male perspective here.

I think I only used it on a thread that was very much about men already in relationships cheating, trying to cheat and it was nearly all women responding.

I know what you mean about the Sex Topic Julia.

You can't actually tell if they are a man or a woman unless they say.

How do you police the women only aspect of your group, alltouchedout? Everyone can be (or claim to be) whoever they damn well please on an anonymous forum.

YABU. It doesn't bother me at all. It's good to have different opinions.

Depends on the specifics of the post, but in general I'd say men should be welcome here - after all this is the 21st century so why do we need to keep reinforcing the notion of the mother as the only child carer?

On a similar note, I rarely post (this is my 3rd post in total) but I wonder if I should be allowed here as I'm a 17 year old. I've always enjoyed reading parenting literature despite not knowing if I will ever want children and I registered in case it would ever seem helpful to offer a child's/teen's perspective on issues but perhaps I'm completely out of order?

It doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Re my earlier post

It was somewhat tongue in cheek

I did say 'if they were talking rubbish'

I was a child carer (childminder, nanny, worked in residential homes for severely disabled children) before becoming a mother myself.

Yes some of what I thought then was sensible and practical, some of it was complete crap! There are some things you just don't 'get' unless you are actually a parent.

As we're discussing men here perhaps this analogy would work

Would men/a man commenting on periods as if they knew better be accepted?

No. Why would it bother me. Who am I to say that you have to lacking a penis and balls to post here. I don't own the site and neither do you.

Would men/a man commenting on periods as if they knew better be accepted?

If they were a gynaecologist (or had other specialist training), yes.

Or if they were sharing what worked of their wife/sister.

I think it depends how they do it - if they started with, "I'm a gynaecologist..." - well, clearly that is more relevant than the fact they're a man, and they don't need to mention they're a man (though if a frequent poster, others might know they are anyway.)

I'd be okay with, "My wife had this and she found that doing that worked."

If they started with something like, "As a man, I'd like to say you ladies are really amazing to have to deal with this," I'd be wanting to say, "ODFOD, you patronising git." And that's without them going on to say you just need to think the pain away or whatever advice is might be.

Way upthread "I'll be honest, I don't mind men posting on threads, but when men start them I just think their [sic] spinning an abusive argument for home .... I know it's not all true but it's my first thought and raises my suspicions."

I started a couple of threads asking about poetry. Didn't realise I was "spinning an abusive argument", or any argument for that matter.

So the thread I started about centaurs was "spinning an abusive argument"?

Men are like the cherry on a cherry bakewell. Not a large proportion, but lovely and red and tasty.

Lost my point a bit there.

Shoehorning your centaurs thread into this one is a stealth boast, Tiggy.

J'accuse you of pretending to take offence in order to show off your centaurs.