to ask what do you do when you get into a heated discussion online?

[AteRiri]

Mumsnet or elsewhere.

Do you keep explaining your point which the other party does not seem to get, or do you let it go?

If I have presented my point and they are pointlessly arguing or nitpicking I put a - - then hide the thread usually. Life is too short to argue with strangers, I have rl people to be arguing with

Depends what it's about. If I think it's a really important subject, and that I am likely to be able to produce arguments or data which would persuade a reasonable person, then I will carry on until I run out of steam or I think everyone has got bored and wandered off, leaving me alone with that one obtuse person.

I may have realised early on that my sparring partner is never going to see sense, but there are usually onlookers whom I can influence.

I hide the thread now, some randoms on here used to get me so riled that it was not healthy. I remember their names though and hold a grudge so probably not really randoms.

Life is too short to correct someone who's wrong on the internet

I like that

I struggle a bit is when people give unsafe advice, such as "give calpol if your child has a bad cough", or strangers pushing for someone to make a drastic decision whilst they should be encouraged to take some time to think - it's not their life that will be turned upside down.

This!

Life is too short to correct someone who's wrong on the internet

No it isn't 😉

I just can't be arsed anymore. I was never much of a arguer in the first place but now I really don't need to have someone, especially an anonymous person in a chat forum, tell me I'm right. I'm happy enough with my own decisions or views.

I'm too lazy to gather my thoughts and form an argument most of the time, I'll sometimes just 'meh' them or just not reply and carry on posting on the thread as if they're not there. Just can't be arsed in general.

"Meh" or "it's the will of the people! Get over it!"?

I see it a lot.

I have got into a couple of scraps on fb with people who think hideously environmentally damaging things are 'cute' (jamjars of sand from places you've been on holiday, a school project to see who could get a handful of earth from furthest away). Apart from that I'm fairly easygoing in RL and online.

I gave up actually trying to persuade people sometime around the Scottish Referendum. That was a lesson in entrenchment. And Brexit, which really put me off MN for a while.

Now I just hold my line. I've been really abused for my views on some quite controversial stuff but that's ok.

OhHolyFuck that's exactly the cartoon I was thinking of

Though mambono5 is right when they mention wrong advice, as in dangerous advice, being given out. There's a difference between someone picking a fight and refusing to back down or see any other viewpoint and someone of the opinion that their simple cold warrants a trip to A&E.

Ask a question: if you don't get an answer it usually means they are entrenched or haven't thought about it enough to debate.
Debate is a lost art and I always appreciate people disagreeing with me as long as it isn't too abusive!

I commented on an ITV news article about refugees a few years ago as the racism and general stupidity of the commenters was horrifying. Cue about 60 replies from people (who couldn't spell) shouting abuse at me and generally trolling. It was quite upsetting so just unfollowed the site. Commented on another article on a mummy blog about US shootings but argued that one to the death. Most commenters were American and saying things about the UK that just weren't true so facts won that argument.

I rarely get to a point where I feel the urge to keep going. There was one thread recently that really wound me up and some of the responses were, in my opinion, utterly missing the point.

One snotty frother did really piss me off and I did get deleted for my reply which was unwarranted but she/he took the hump.

I have occasionally changed my point of view about something due to opposing posts. The nurses speaking another language post is a prime example of that. However, many people on here aren't prepared to listen. I really hate it when someone quotes you in bold and throws your words back at you with this face . That's usually a sign for me to leave. The other person probably won't listen.

chat about cheese

HecateAntaia