To ask about the weird things you only learned from MN?

[Blanchedupetitpois]

It seems like in MN world there are all kinds of rules that I swear I’ve never seen expressed or followed in real life. What have you been most surprised by? I’ll start:

1. Adults don’t celebrate birthdays, and if you expect any recognition of yours, you’re being childish.

1. Halloween is exclusively an American import with no history in this country, and celebrating it is therefore tacky and meaningless.

1. Trick or treating is glorified begging.

1. Absolutely nobody other than you or your DP is remotely interested in your pregnancy, and even telling another person that you’re pregnant is akin to riding a donkey down the high street while calling for palm fronds to be laid at your feet in recognition of the impending miracle of your unborn child.

That 99% of the population has a hidden disability.

8 month pregnant woman on the bus/train/waiting room and no one offers her their seat? It’s because they all have a hidden disability - yes, every single one of them, so stop being so unreasonable and entitled.

There’s always at least one and it’s always the 3rd or 4th post into a thread.

Everyone has some kind of phobia of dot or string or they must only walk in even number steps or they can’t scratch their arse with their left hand or other such shite.

Also everyone knows someone who can sign their passport photos. The idea that people don’t have friends who are doctors, dentists and teachers is madness.

eddiemairswife, Sootikins aren't real. The theory was put forward by a Doctor who also believed that a Woman could affect the development of her Baby by being obsessed with something. So if she craved rabbit, her baby would look like a rabbit. It was an early theory about disabities/deformities etc.

Google Mary Toft.

Sootikins has been carried on by Women haters who want to convince us that are nether regions are vile places.

It was also a misinterpretation of the word 'Sooterkin'.

That as a single parent, you must never, ever date again as every single man who actually wants to date you is a peodophile.

If you dare to date, then you are a self-absorbed arse who clearly doesn’t love their children as much as those who abstain from dating...

It is 'normal' for people to be in a relationship for 2 years and not live together. It is even more 'normal' and acceptable to be married for years but live streets away. FMD!

Oh, and 'fag' is an acceptable term in the UK. But no where else in the English-speaking world. Using homophobic words on MN is acceptable, because, you know, 'history, culture, smokes' - it's "the vibe" I guess. At that rate, I am surprised the N word isn't accepted on here, too.

• That toilet brushes are the work of the devil

• That you shouldn't wear white to a wedding

• Anything remotely nice and fairly strong smelling (perfume, Zoflora, plug-ins) will instant give 99% of MNers a "migraine"

• That children must have "snacks" fed into their face every hour without fail or they die immediately

• That squash is basically arsenic

• That no-one is a cunt, everyone who behaves in a cunty manner is obviously just going through stress, or is mentally ill

• That everyone and their child has some kind of disorder

• That there are absolutely incredible numbers of women still willing to be doormats and skivvies

• That 94% of MNer husbands have a mysterious "hobby" which takes them out of the family home for entire weekends, uses up huge amounts of family money but must never be questioned or mentioned. Details of this hobby affair must never be revealed to random strangers on the internet

• That 101 is a thing and the person on the other end of the line just spends all day "logging" ridiculous posh twats concerns about their scruffy neighbours, cars parked outside their houses, or the woman down the road who's a bit moody

• That most people are completely oblivious to unconscious bias and racism

What are you talking about Salem?

The British called cigarettes fags long before the Americans called gay men faggots.

They’ve quite possibly derived from the same place many moons ago, but no, popping outside for a British fag isn’t homophobic in the slightest.

In a thread about money, you're a stealth boaster if you mention that you earn more than £165 per year and manage to save more than 78p per week.

Teachers are the best people in the whole world and should never be questioned. If they do have to be questioned because of, for example, glaringly obvious mistakes in the homework they set your children, this should be done very tactfully and apologetically.

Every relationship has its ‘ups and downs’

All money earned by a man is ‘family money’ whereas a proportion of money earned by a women is ‘divorce fund/personal money’

Any man who works full time and has a a SAHM partner is expected to do 50% of the domestic chores, anything less and he is a cockloger

@SaucyJack Whether they called it that before gay people were called 'faggots' DOESN'T MATTER!! The fact is, it has been for DECADES used as a slur ALL OVER THE WORLD against gay people. It is no longer acceptable to use it. Full stop. End of story. Decent people would stop using the word. It's not that hard a concept to grasp.

It's perfectly acceptable to use the word 'fag' referring to smoking! JFC. It's not homophobic in the slightest.

@SaucyJack N word has it's origins in America, and is mainly regarding the n*gro race, particularly African Americans. Yet in the UK they still don't use the N word. What is the difference between that and the F-g? There is none, just people stuck in their ways refusing to change and keep using a deeply offensive word that is offensive not just in America, but WORLD WIDE. And, this, is a world wide internet site.

Reading some of these I must be looking at a different MN to some people.

@unexpectedtwist WRONG! It is homophobic ALL OVER THE WORLD. The word is so offensive that most message boards BAN the word. Only in the UK is it allowed! Are people in the UK so cut off from the world that they don't realise how deeply and utterly offensive it is? Just because you use it to say smokes, DOES NOT mean it is ok!

Comparing the n-word to the word "fag" is exactly the kind of unconscious racist fucking bullshit I mentioned upthread- a lot of MNers are hugely racist and don't even fucking realise.

@unexpectedtwist Btw I have a cousin who is gay, and he is deeply offended by the f word, as are any and all GLBT here. In fact, the word is not allowed to be used at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which is internationally renowned. Allowing it to be used there, would be like allowing the N word to be used at a black history month/display.

I am shocked how many in the UK, even with the internet and the world at their fingertips, still think using the term 'fag'/'faggot' is acceptable. This is 2018. And you have the internet. wtf?!

I LOVE IT when SOME posters use random caps lock on a thread. It just makes a slightly BONKERS post seem EVEN more bonkers.

Fag = cigarette in Ireland. Ireland not the UK, ergo is part of ALL OVER THE WORLD.

Many people are aware that in American English fag is an offensive word for a homosexual man, but in the form English they use it is not.

I'm confused. Are you talking about people in the UK using the word fag to refer to people? Of course that's offensive. I don't think Mumsnet allow that do they?

@unexpectedtwist Have you forgotten that the word is unacceptable WORLD WIDE?!?? Who gives a stuff what UK used to call cigarettes? It is now NO LONGER AN ACCEPTABLE WORD.

What is it about that, that you cannot understand?!?? This is an INTERNATIONAL site, used by people OUTSIDE of the UK, it is not just for the UK. Hence using deeply offensive terms like that word should not be used because people DO live outside the UK, and it is an offensive term to every other English-speaking area in the world. What UK's history of the word is, DOES.....NOT......MATTER!!! It is recognised INTERNATIONALLY as offensive.