To think MN is suddenly full of hard right extremists?

[Manumission]

I can't believe what I'm reading today.

Some of the comments of the bacon/mosque attack sentencing thread and also on the Jack Monroe/ sanction petition thread are just breathtakingly nasty. Other threads too.

What's happened? They aren't all new names. Some are. Is it an influx altering the mood here? Or does it reflect the national shift?

flippinada

Petition is here: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/170364

I see some extremely right-wing views, some extremely left-wing views, and plenty that's somewhere in between. I think you notice the extreme views more than the moderate ones - especially if you don't agree with them.

Just like if you pass a hundred people on the street, and a drunk, apropos of nothing, calls you a stupid bitch - will you notice and remember him, or the hundred who were just going about their daily business?

Threads on immigration and refugees have made me deeply uncomfortable. Not a lot that was overtly racist but a lot of innuendo, implication and implicit meaning that I was very uncomfortable with.

Post Brexit and with Trump making overtly racist comments it feels like people feel able to express views they may have kept to themselves. Is this wholly a bad thing?

WLF Good point.

I'm a lefty, I'm still here.

I think the whole country has become more outspokenly right wing, stoked up by the Murdoch press. MN reflects this.

Cheers BowieFan, have signed.

I have just signed that petition.

I have made it clear I'm an advocate of Brexit from a Dennis Skinner perspective, not a Farage one. I have been accused of a range of offences, just for having taken a very carefully considered opinion on an issue upon which we had a vote.

Chcuking about epithets like racist, bigot and idiot/stupid has become extremely popular, whether justified or not.

It's gone all net mums - esque.

amicissimma

Your description of pretty much any Brexit thread on here is 100% accurate - there is only one acceptable view.

In my experience of people who espouse left and right positions politically, the left are far more vocal about their causes but much meaner on a personal level - don't leave tips, etc. Right tend to be charitable and generous privately while taking a much harder line in public.

Yes, I've thought that for a long time. Glad I'm not the only one.

Thing is, if most posters on a thread respond to the reactionary posts (of whatever flavour), that's the way the thread goes. If most posters only engaged with the interesting but comparatively drama-free posts then a different type of thread emerges. But those posts largely get ignored. So, the shock posts and rebuttals end up dominating the discourse.

Bunfights are attractive because they get the juices flowing. That's the nature of forums. And contention creates ripples elsewhere by the outraged. If I were a conspiracy theorist (I'm not), I would ponder whether MNHQ were behind contentious posts

Anyway, lots of people are twats. What flavour of twats they are depend on where you are sitting. I am as outraged by what I believe is misogyny from many pro trans supporters as they are by what they perceive as my transphobia. And I'm sure it's the same for other topics.

I do think that as mn gets larger (and seems to be happy to be mined by news outlets for content) then posts will trend towards the mean of the country. Which is not very MN of old.

I find MN pretty socially conservative in general - way to the right of all my rl friends on everything - trans issues/benefits/immigration/religion/ sexual morality/ piercing and tattoos/ hair dye - it feels a bit like talking to my mum at times. But that's interesting and I think stops me from sinking into a comfy academic bubble.

Still worth it for some very good debate but there is nasty stuff from both left and right. Personal attacks and labelling and accusations - from both left and right.

This thread is more of the same.

Is MN suddenly full of hard right extremists? Really??? Hard Right Extremists?? Do you know what the phrase means? Violence and intimidation and zero tolerance of any other view?? Just because people express an opinion that does not agree with your own.

There will be differing views on all threads - people who disagree are not necessarily nasty

I got called a 'white cunt' and 'white bitch' by a Middle Eastern looking man high on ice the other day. To be fair, his friend looked embarassed. When I was younger, it was strung out white men doing the same but in reverse because of my darker features ('wog cunt', 'wog bitch' or worse). Before that, my family got flak for being Irish.

We live in scary times generally and there are some who are very happy to keep it that way..

Mini are you in Australia?

There will be differing views on all threads - people who disagree are not necessarily nasty

Quite.

It's the nastiness that's nasty (and on the increase). The disagreement is fine.

The vast majority of nastiness I have seen on MN comes from the very liberal left. Especially post-brexit.
All the snide remarks about 'Net huns' etc. Total snobishness.

Fortunately, the majority of posters are somewhere in the middle of far left and far right. Those posters manage to debate with respect and not resort to name calling and belittling.

It's interesting that some people do see Brexit as a left/right issue.

Pffft these blow ins have nothing on Daftpunk

A genuine right wing BNP supporter.

I'm confused. Ii thought the consensus was that MN was full of pinko lefties who want benefits extended to everyone who has ever broken a fingernail Now I am being told it is a pit of rabid right wing vipers.

Oi! Don't put vipers and right wing in the same group!
Always vipers, regardless of politics, colour or religion.

user147 ...Yes

Quimby yes indeed.

I think everyone would agree that MN is full of vipers of all political persuasions.

Agree that Brexit is more complex than left versus right.

It's interesting that some people do see Brexit as a left/right issue.

People may think that, however it clearly wasn't.

Whats with the netmums comments ,What do they mean ? I Never understand them it is being used as somesort of insult.