True or False

[AnonUser101]

Was told that many of these threads may not be real life experiences.

MNHQ Admin actually put on one "if this story's true."

Are threads real life experiences or not?

I am convinced some are plants by MNHQ themselves, when ActiveConvo gets too dead.
Others are plants by journalists (on their slow news days).
Some are fantasies -- wrong to call them trolls. They may not want to upset anyone, they just want attention.

And the rest are merely one sided -- U only hear one person's perspective.

Who knows.

^Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
...
Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters nothing really matters to me
Anyway the wind blows^

I also think some are planted by MNHQ. The giveaway is that they are all written in the same style in the same tone of voice

Careful people. The OP might be a plant from MNHQ

Many of them seem to follow the pattern of 1980s "readers' letter" in Men Only and Cosmopolitan. (I haven't read either magazine since 1985: they might still do the same thing.) Someone is paid or otherwise induced to write them - hence their all being written in the same style - to push particular buttons in the readership.

There’s no way of knowing. But sometimes I think I can tell someone’s making something up as they go along and I report. Sometimes, (I think, usually), I’m right and it’s a PBP, (previously banned poster), or something.

Sometimes it’s weirdo trolls. Sometimes I think it’s journalists.

Things I look out for are:

1. ‘female’ op who makes sure to include plenty of little details to show how porn style sexy she is; “I just have all these sexual needs, I go to the gym and I look after myself really well, so I look good for my age” blah blah, “all the boys at my son’s school fancy me and I’ve got these pesky breast implants”. FUCK OFF. You are a stupid, male troll who massively underestimates women
2. something really dramatic which escalated quickly, but with lots of suspense created by posts; “ok, I’m about to approach the random man who’s stuck up my tree... I’m about to take his photo RIGHT NOW... I mean, do you think this is ok? I’m a bit confused by it all...” [posts photo which is just something downloaded from an old online news article - troll busted]
3. I’m sorry to say, but I’m very wary of anything which a troll might be posting because they’re basically a pervert; anything asking to share experiences about your toilet habits etc, also, anything which a pedophile might get off on . They dress it up as a “share your experiences” type thread or “my child has done X, Y or Z”, trying to trick people into sharing info about their own children. So never, ever share that sort of info.
4. anyone who is new, especially if they have an overtly feminine username and is trying to start a bun fight (slagging of sahms usually) is imo probably a mysoginist, woman hating, men’s rights activist trying to sew seeds of discord into a predominantly female platform. For kicks and because they hate the idea of women supporting each other and need it to stop .

I read take a break (don't judge me, I've got a very boring life!) and the problem page in there very often seems to be lifted straight from here, with "reader answers" provided.

MN is full of trolls, emotional vampires, journalists and those with a political agenda.

There's a bit of genuine stuff too. Somewhere.

I think most of it's true but some isn't . I mainly look at MN as entertainment. I don't particularly care if some of it isn't true. I don't really understand why so many people get so het up about trolls or fakers unless they are actually properly offensive or trying to get people to send money etc.

JellySlice; - love the lyrics unfortunately it is just that "anyway the wind blows," cause he died.

do you believe threads are real or not?

It's the same as real life.

Some people make up stories. For many reasons, some people like to shit stir, some people do it for attention, some people do it for kicks (sometimes sexual kicks), some people are bored.

I am always wary of the ones where someone is splitting up with their Dp or Dp is suspected of cheating (or done something bad) and the Op then posts that they might be pregnant. So several days of posting before they test. Or ones that escalate really fast.

I agree that some of the made up threads are quite entertaining or stimulate an interesting debate, so I don’t mind. What I don’t like are the ones I mentioned up thread, where it’s clearly someone trying to get their jollies at other people’s expense, where they’re making stuff up to make a point about something, political or otherwise, or where they are really stupid, amateurish and obviously fake.

AnonUser it doesn't matter whether or not the threads are true.

Never over-invest.

If it's information - check another source for yourself .

If it's disgusting - ignore/hide/report.

If you feel you have something to contribute - go ahead without exposing yourself to harm.

If it's amusing/entertaining/enjoyable - go ahead without exposing yourself to harm.

If the ages, sex and number of my dc varies, does that make me a troll? Or someone who is protecting their privacy without causing any harm?

How is reading a made-up thread any different to reading a novel, albeit one that is being written collaboratively and is unfolding in real time?

I have posted in AIBU under this username and others- all might have been true!

Sometimes I do want to write "this is a lie" under posts but I feel it wouldn't be as funny without David Mitchell's voice (anyone who hasn't watched Would I Lie To You? must do so immediately)