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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to ask why politics is so well hidden on MN

15 replies

hdh747 · 12/03/2019 07:10

Still finding my way around the MN boards. But I have to say I find it strange that current affairs, news and politics are tucked away under 'other' stuff and need searching for, whereas if I want to discuss what's for dinner, pushchairs, or dieting those subjects are much easier to find.
Is that cos they are proper wimmin's stuff?

OP posts:

TheQueef · 12/03/2019 07:12

Not noticed brexit threads then?

Original poster

hdh747 · 12/03/2019 07:13

Yes I have noticed the Brexit threads, but there's more to politics than just Brexit, and I'm just suprised news, current affairs and politics don't warrent their own heading.

OP posts:

surferjet · 12/03/2019 07:13

AIBU is in ‘other’ ......people seem to find that ok.

ScreamingValenta · 12/03/2019 07:14

You could post a thread in Site Stuff and suggest MNHQ list them under a 'current affairs' category in the thread index.

TheHolySmirk · 12/03/2019 07:15

It's not that hard to find.

It's more that 90% of posts are in AIBU or Chat.

Nobody really looks for other sections, they just post about dinner/TV/pushchairs here.

If posts are really bugging (baby names, AMA etc) people usually ask for them to be moved.

I reckon you could get away with political stuff in AIBU or Chat. Or if you are a die hard fan, just find the topic. As you did.

If it's popular it'll show up in Active anyway.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 12/03/2019 07:15

I don’t think there’s much of an appetite for it tbh. The core posters are busy with children, I know I took a step back from anything but them when they were young. Although there are some intellectual debates when it does crop up.

rightreckoner · 12/03/2019 07:20

Have a look at the Feminism board. It’s where many of the politically minded people are, focussed on one of the biggest issues of our time. And it’s one that’s being covered by hardly any of the media outlets.

I don’t think MN expected to become a political hotbed but it is, thanks to the failure of our parties and media companies.

meditrina · 12/03/2019 07:23

There are lots of important topics that barely get used.

In The News used to be considerably more active (in the old layout, it was one of the half dozen or so on an always there set of links at the bottom of every page. So I don't think MNHQ have been dismissively tucking it away.

I do think the site has fewer threads on political subjects. This has coincided with the growth of the site, and the stridency of echo chambers.

But MN is a useful political tool - if you look at all recent elections, the outcome has been the opposite of what has been the noisy/dominatung view on here. It's becoming a bellwether.

SmarmyMrMime · 12/03/2019 07:24

AIBU and chat often have discussion of current affairs, or the latest headline about another government blooper, or the oppositions.

I'd imagine the depth of discussion in Politics is more in depth which is why I don't hunt it out.

Original poster

hdh747 · 12/03/2019 07:25

Thank you ScreamingValenta - I will.

OP posts:

meditrina · 12/03/2019 07:28

"Have a look at the Feminism board. It’s where many of the politically minded people are, focussed on one of the biggest issues of our tim"

Exactly - echo chamber on a single issue.

It has been a great shame to see the changes - especially is GC is not universally supported. But there can be no debate or dissent, or even toleration of a different view of relative importance.

Original poster

hdh747 · 12/03/2019 07:32

I have been lurking on the feminist board rightreckoner - it is very instructive on certain subjects, but rather narrowly focused atm, though I totally get why. I just needed a break from all that stuff tbh and just noticed how little prominence other news and politics seem get on the forum. And actually it took me a while to find AIBU, I only hunted it down as it seemed to be the thing that popped up all the time on the active thread.

I think what I'm saying is that to my mind 'other stuff' is the not so important stuff that doesn't warrant a category but where most of the posting seems to get done under AIBU. Just seems odd to me.

OP posts:

TeenTimesTwo · 12/03/2019 07:53

I think the Feminist board seems narrowly focussed because there is one hot issue in feminism right now which until very recently has been largely ignored by mainstream media. If people post on other subjects they still get responded to.

And actually, I think the 'lack of debate' / 'echo chamber' comment isn't really fair. It isn't the feminists fault that the 'other side' of the discussion doesn't stand up to proper scrutiny.

OP - if you click on 'Talk' then you can order all the topics alphabetically, and have a jolly good browse through all the topics available on MN.

Original poster

hdh747 · 12/03/2019 07:56

Ah didn't spot that, thank you TeenTimesTwo - I will have a good rummage around now.

OP posts:

rightreckoner · 12/03/2019 07:58

I hear you hd. I am not very political any more - had that beaten out of me by the Brexit shit show but if you are looking, there are long standing threads about big issues like Brexit and Trump which roll on from week to week but I feel they are less a political discussion and more a news feed. I don’t think there is much else - and almost nothing about economics (which is my field).

As for FWR being an echo chamber - I’ve had the most phenomenal education there. It’s bracing in the extreme. I had never studied feminism despite having a politics degree. and now I feel I can debate the issues from a point of knowledge.

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