Only on MN ...

[cathf]

Not a TAAT as such, but inspired by a response on a thread running at the moment.
It got me thinking of the differences between MN and my RL friends and acquaintances, and things that are accepted wisdom on MN that no-one I know in real life cares about at all.
I will start off:

1. Little girls who wear pink clothing, and gendered clothing in general;
2. Scented sanitary towels;
3. Fruit Shoots
4. People cuddling/touching/talking to your child;

The amount of threads and angst over these topics is staggering, yet no-one I know would even think any of the above were worth discussing, never mind getting worked up about. Anymore?

Agree with PP about some people falling over themselves to prove how liberal they are when really they'd probably be the most side eye, judgey folk around.

On MN school threads, calling up the school to have a calm discussion with teachers, get the whole picture & work together for a resolution is clearly victim blaming, a sign teachers think they are Gods and a perfect example of how institutional cover ups of abuse happen. Everyone knows the correct action is to demand a meeting with the head/governors and call Ofsted.

People who think Fruit Shoots are gross, have you ever tasted one? They can't have that much sugar in, they taste like unbearably weak squash.

I have never been called a 'cool wife' anywhere but here.

Anyone who's nasty to you in public isn't just a dick they probably have sn or mental health problems.

"I work as a carer doing 5 12 hour shifts a week and I'm struggling to pay my bills/childcare"

There's always one who says "you should get a better paid job" or well you should just work harder and you wouldn't be in this state.

A really young looking woman asks ‘how old do I look?’

Posters rush in to say ‘103’

Just cruel and unnecessary.

Benefit fraud being ok.

OP: my neighbour is committing benefit fraud. She's breaking the law and stealing hundreds of pounds from the taxpayer every month. AIBU to report?

MN: Mind your own bloody business. Oh dear. Another benefit bashing thread? OP you sound jealous.

Stealing (unless it's from the government) is NEVER ok though

OP: I accidentally stole a £2 eyeliner from the supermarket while doing my weekly shop. Oops.

MN: Wow. Not cool OP. Stealing is stealing. What kind of example are you setting for your children? This thread disgusts me.

@MaisyPops Agree with PP about some people falling over themselves to prove how liberal they are

Yes!

• If spouse works away, they don't know when they're leaving, let alone speak to them once during their trip, care or know where in the world they are, how long they'll be or when they're getting back.
• go to extreme pains to point out how they ALWAYS make "home made healthy food from scratch". Not one single MNer serves up nuggets and chips and McD is akin to child abuse.
• ditto sweets and treats: they give a child half a grape once a month at most.
• the absolutely infuriating vagina/vulva smug thing.
• the constant stream of bustling in and making medical diagnoses based on a single post about someone acting like a dick. And it's always one of autism/dementia/narc.

I'm vehemently frothy about the crime of crotch itch that is called the scented sanitary towel (they make me itch like buggery) but no, I have no fucking intention of trying a mooncup.
"Take in some ironing" as the solution to every family's financial woes. The only place you get similar is the Daily Fucking Mail where they went through that period of "one woman's solution to their family's insolvency with the triumph of cupcakes" stories every week.
School threads where the slightest query about schools gets you condemned as "that parent" as if it's some kind of earth-withering insult... "I didn't understand the maths homework this week so couldn't help Persephone do it, AIBU to ask at school for them to explain how they're teaching this these days so I can help her with it.... oh god how disgustingly disrespectful are you - you are THAT parent OP and they'll hate you in the staffroom!"
The total lack of understanding that if you live on a low wage, zero hours contract or just an insecure job - a big unexpected bill or putting savings aside each month just isn't viable for a lot of people - and the inevitable pearl clutching witchiness that you should never have had children if you couldn't save at least 2 grand a month in surplus to your spa day, nanny share, and private schooling.
And not a particularly nasty one - but very frustrating at times - if a poster posts that they're struggling getting an appointment or a referral to something like a paediatrician or speech therapist or whatever and adds into the post that they really really cannot afford to go private you'll get a string of "oh I know a really good private guy they did wonders for my child" comments chirpily added in.
However greyhounds are superb dogs.

I have never been called a 'cool wife' anywhere but here
And the bar for being called a 'cool wife' in a snide way on here is pretty low.
I was called it for saying I have no issues with DH having female friends and that men and women can have opposite sex friendships.
Offline this is the norm

Fruit shoots and scented sanitary towels are both vile! So there!!!

All of the above! But can I also add:

Cheap wedding = marriage for life
Expensive wedding = divorce within a year.

Er..... no! I know plenty of people who spent quite a bit on their wedding and are still happily married 10, 15, 20 years later.

When something minor happens IRL and like 20 people comment 'oh I would have punched them'. Seriously? You would have punched a stranger square in the face for grabbing the last of the naice ham. Shut the fuck up you massive twat.

Also MN is the only place where baby carriers are recommended. I have never seen them used by people unless they were the vegan gluten free organic tree hugger types. And there aren't many of them up north.

Ditto uproar about piercing baby's ears. 90% of little girls I know have their ears done and nobody batters an eyelid up here.

MN is a very strange place sometimes.

I once saw someone saying they didn't understand how the working out on their child's maths homework was done these days and should they go ask the school. One poster said that they shouldn't bother the school and take a maths class instead.

There are 5 teaspoons of sugar in a FruitShoot. That is what is wrong with them.

I asked for ideas of what I can do with my children over the holidays with no money and that I had no garden.

Some of the suggestions were gardening, getting a trampoline and a padding pool.

When u find yourself thinking that half an hour with a brillo pad could be the solution you will understand the hatred for scented sanitary products. They should be banned.

🙋‍♀️ Baby carrier/sling wearer - I'm not vegan, gluten free or a tree hugger... after 3 months my baby hated her pram. And with dc2's arrival imminent I'll be using one again to be able to wrangle a toddler.

I also don't understand any benefit to very young babies having their ears pierced... North/South divide?

I don't know anyone in real life who has gone no contact with family but have heard it a lot on here either posters have done it or advice people to do it ( on some threads I can understand why they would due to awful things that have happened) but I've never heard it mentioned in real life.

Because it can be enormously painful and cause people to feel a lot of shame and guilt. And often if you do mention it to someone you get such a barrage of ‘oh you’ll make up someday, my sibling and I are always falling out!’ insensitive crap it’s just not worth it.

Estrangement is surprisingly common. But people rarely discuss it unless you’re very close and they can trust you not to add more pain to their disclosure.

If anybody posts anything at all mentioning their DH, several people will suggest their DH is cheating on them.

Getting a table before ordering food in a cafe being some sort of crime.

Benefit fraud being ok.

"Logging" things with the police.

Schrodingers (cool name btw) scented tampons don't sound very healthy. I don't want to put anything scented up there.

I love how most posters have completely missed the point of the OP.

Only on MN:

You can do a weekly shop for a family with 5 teenagers and come in at under £40.

Little boys wear tutus and bows and girls dress from the boys clothing range.

Children can do allegra from age 1 and are reading War and Peace in Reception class.

Nobody eats sugar.

Nobody has a buggy and they wear their babies 24/7.

MILs are the enemy!

People go Non-contact! Never even heard anyone say that phrase in real life!

Random strangers say rude comments to you in the Supermarket.

Rooms set on fire the minute you leave your child alone.

One parent remaining sober at all times in case they need to take a child to A&E- never met anyone who does or even considers this!!

I have never discussed my loathing of scented sanitary towels with anyone in rl, but I detest them. I can smell it myself as I walk and I'm sure others can smell it to. Vile, rank things they are.

I don't want to put anything scented up there

Some could argue their DH using mint/coconut/orange shower gel, before relations could be a step too far then

Has anyone actually tasted fruit shoOt? I thought they tasted ok but last time I drank them they tasted chemically. Do not buying these again.