To think there there's a huge lack of reading comprehension on Mumsnet?

[Tuhelime]

It's so frustrating. The OP will ask, for example, 'can anyone recommend the best way of getting from Brighton to Norfolk? I'm travelling alone and can't drive', and there'll be numerous responses saying 'the public transport isn't great, I'd take your car OP'.

Or there'll be a post saying 'I'm upset because my friend seems to have ghosted me. I've tried ringing and texting and even knocked on her door! She's alive because she's posting on Facebook', and then there's the answers of 'are you not worried something has happened to her OP?! If it was my friend I'd go round and knock on the door!'

It happens in simple threads to upsetting ones and it drives me insane.

exactly!

It's amazing how many posters take everything personally and I think get genuinely angry.

Isn't this forum just a form of entertainment? Some people really deserves to be winded up

I especially love the ones who attack or willingly misunderstand a reply when the part that is being replied to is highlighted in the post. Still ignore it and go on a massive rant, ignoring how goady and nasty the first post was.

Some people don't understand sarcasms.
Some are just plain thick. It's amusing.

Yes it's fucking ridiculous.

Some people do it deliberately.

"my husband put red socks into the wash and ruined all my silk work blouses. He's done this before, I let it go then but I'm so angry this time AIBU?"

Replies - "YABU to wear red socks"

• "silk blouses? Really?"
• "do your own washing"

Etc etc etc

I once wrote a deliberately provocative heading, which was clearly revealed to be part of a joke if you read the opening post....that opening post was NOT read by about 10 posters....until someone turned up, read the lot and asked why everyone was going off on one when the OP was very clear. Nice exercise in “shoot first, pile on second, think later” I wasn’t bothered, have been here long enough to expect it- I was surprised how many posters didn’t read it though.

It’s just the way it goes on Internet forums. No point being infuriated

"I'm so devastated that my DH, the most wonderful man and amazing father I've ever known, was killed in a tragic road accident last week. I'm now a single parent of 4 children under 9 and I just really don't know how I'm going to cope at all - really struggling with my many emotions and the practicalities of it all right now."

"Well he can't have been that wonderful or much of an amazing dad to just up and leave you and his children like that. You're well rid of him, you deserve much better - but make sure you go to CMS immediately so that the selfish b***d doesn't get away with not supporting his kids."

Often it's "i am completely skint and.."

And the answers are..why don't you just do x, it's only £500?

Or a purposeful misunderstanding of what's written that then every single poster copys and you have pages of pointless posts

DD has just started in year 13. Her dad and I are considering going away for a weekend. Would you leave her at home?

To be fair though, I'm in Scotland and would have no idea how old a "year 13" would be. I am guessing fairly old after 13 years at school.

But when people talk about "year 4" or whatever I haven't a clue. Same as most of the English folks would be confused by Scots talking about children who are in P7 or S2.

Well I don't believe in ghosts

the DSD4 overload nonsense doesn't help. You have no idea if it's the 4th child, if the child is 4, and what the actual relationship is.
Many people don't bother to try to understand, which is fair enough.

I'm surprised no-one has picked up on the title of OP 🤷‍♀️.

I love the the threads asking "What can I cook for a family gathering of 10 people, four of them won't eat anything spicy?"
The first six answers will be "Curry is my go to meal for large groups"!

Yeah, the year 13 thing is confusing. As is stuff like DF. Father? Friend? Fiancé?

Also, some people end up writing a 20 paragraph opening post because they don’t want to drip feed which could be summarized as my coworker borrowed my favorite pen WIBU to ask for it back.

Of course. It’s a lot more noticeable on MN than other forums I’ve frequented. People regularly miss really key, obvious bits of info and misunderstand really simple sentences. Often the OP will say ‘oh sorry I wasn’t clear’ and then repeat in a different way, which is completely unnecessary when they were crystal clear in the first place, because several posters can’t read.

I often wonder what it is about MN that means it tends to attract less literate posters.

But why would you go through Reading on the way from Brighton to Norfolk?

@Livebythecoast , what what do you mean about the title?

I like the ones that go 'my husband did something mildly irritating and I'm a bit cross with him' and the third post down is 'he is a total knob jockey, wanking psychopathic man-child cunt. Have some self respect and leave him immediately before he murders you and your children. '

I'm surprised no-one has picked up on the title of OP 🤷‍♀️.

What's wrong with it?

Have some self respect and leave him immediately before he murders you and your children. '

I loathe the ones telling women who are having a hard time to get some self respect. It does nothing but kick them when they're down.

The worst thing about the '20 paragraph' posts is that all too often there aren't any paragraphs.

owlypants - just wondering as the title isn't grammatically correct and whether we were paying attention to detail given the subject of the OP.
Should it not read to think THAT there's..... not THERE there's ?
Sorry, wasn't trying to be the grammar police but OP is saying we don't read posts properly (which I agree btw) - thought it might be a test!

That's not a grammar mistake, it's just a mistake - I should have typed that instead of there.

There are wankers everywhere. I once posted on a village FB site, asking if anyone knew how long the church bells would be ringing. It was exceptionally loud & far longer than usual.

I think 2 people kindly told me it was a special event & would soon finish, but the other 60+ arseholes were extremely rude, & I was told to live elsewhere, go to back to where I came from (born in the village, actually), & other nasty comments.
I was asking for a neighbour; their autistic child screams when the bells are rung, & she regularly takes him away on Sunday mornings, & checks Notice Boards for weddings & funerals.

I think it’s sometimes a case of people answering the question they wanted to be asked, rather than the one they were actually asked. Along the lines of:

“I’m thinking of buying some reading scheme books to help my child over the holidays. He is on ORT6 - what would you recommend?”

“I would take him to a library and let him discover a love of books and reading by choosing there”.

I’m sure that going to the library is a good thing to do ... but it isn’t what the OP asked about.

It's not just Mumsnet, it's real life too.

I get so annoyed when I email a client giving two options, explaining both, pros and cons, etc., and asking what they want to do, and get a single word reply of "yes" or "no". That wasn't the damn question you fool. I want to know A or B, not yes or no.

Or another popular one when I tell them their VAT return is due by 7th July and tell them the figures, amount due, etc., and get a reply asking when it's due.

Drives me insane having to constantly repeat myself just because people have lost the ability to read and understand what's written in front of them.

It's far worse now people are reading emails on their phones as they clearly lose their attention span and forget what they've just read.

And the posters who skip over everything about the situation the OP’s in.

“Help my baby won’t sleep without being held upright, I am getting 20 mins sleep a night myself and I am now hallucinating, what the hell do I do?”
“Awww just enjoy the squishy newborn cuddles!”