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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder if some posters realise some people lie on threads?

246 replies

jennymanara · 22/08/2019 19:42

So when people say how much they earn, how much they spend on a holiday, how handsome their DH is, do you realise that some people will not be truthful?
I ask because I see comments all the time about how well-off most MN are. I have been to meet ups, and most MN are pretty ordinary women. Lovely, funny and kind, but not super wealthy with amazing homes and husbands, just ordinary. Of course there will be some women on MN who are very well-off but they are not the norm here.

OP posts:
Flower64 · 23/08/2019 15:48

I guess I am what you'd class as a high earner, but I am also a single parent to 4 kids. I'm frequently found working from home in my pyjamas if I can, with my hair all over the shop and I only put makeup on to go into the office. I drive a pretty average car. I shop at Aldi. I have a very good job but MN helps alleviate some fairly boring conference calls where I have merely a five minute contribution to make.

You cant always tell from appearance what someone's financial status is. And I found MN because I was lonely and wanted people to talk to and with 4 kids and a full time job I don't get out much!

Mysterian · 23/08/2019 15:52

Some people lie?!

Wow!!

I'll have to get my butler to get his butler to fetch him a drink to give to me to settle my nerves!!!

PortiaCastis · 23/08/2019 17:46

I'll never get my head round the I'm being blue lighted to hospital posts, if you're that ill with a need to be transported by ambulance with emergency lights flashing to ICU how the fuck can you post on here

Original poster
jennymanara · 23/08/2019 18:12

@frogsoup But our own social circles are very different from the situation generally. You are in academia so will know a lot of people with PHDs, just as someone who works in a hospital will know a lot of consultants.
I suspect there is as someone said a bias of who posts on certain threads. So i suspect on income threads only those earning a lot or liars post.

OP posts:
Ninkaninus · 23/08/2019 18:16

I think it’s rather sad that this is even an issue. I can’t imagine getting so invested that I would actually care whether or not someone is massaging their stats, and if I did feel personally involved I think I’d know it was time to step back from the Internet.

I can’t say I’ve ever actually been truly bothered what someone I don’t know says about their life on this or any other forum.

frogsoup · 23/08/2019 18:25

I think there is a bias, yes. Someone mentioned threads on what title to use having a lot of posts from people with 'dr'- it stands to reason to me, as most people with a PhD will have had an extra dose of wrestling with the 'what do I call myself' question, whereas most others only have it when they get married. That makes more sense to me than a lot of poor sad souls pretending to have PhDs for the purposes of a random internet thread.

poolblack · 23/08/2019 18:27

I'm usually quite good at spotting the subtle trolls but I was stunned by the one the other week who made an elaborate story about a dog being dumped in their garden. There was no reasoning for it and when rumbled the troll said something along the lines of 'it was good while it lasted' Confused

Oh and I just spent too much of my day on that bedroom thread Blush

DareDevil223 · 23/08/2019 18:28

I'm astonished by how gullible many people on MN are, it's a miracle that they haven't signed over all their money to a Nigerian prince who sent them an email...

People rush to share stories about their sex lives or children's toilet habits without ever thinking about the OP's motivation. Some threads are such obvious bollocks (the many variations of the 'Popular troll for example) and there are so many serious replies.

Many people lie on the internet for whatever reason and many people and terrifyingly naive and believe whatever they're told. It's a two-way street.

NoSauce · 23/08/2019 18:31

DareDevil223 yep yep yep. It’s almost people have never heard of trolls.

PortiaCastis · 23/08/2019 18:37

I just don't get why people post about their teen dds underwear, just stop and think am I feeding a perve before over sharing your own daughter's personal info

KatsutheClockworkOctopus · 23/08/2019 18:39

What is worrying is the lack of critical thinking when repeating dodgy info. Medical ones are a good example.

OP : My leg's fallen off, should I go to hospital?
Poster 1 : Doctor here. No need for hospital. It's a problem with your liver bone. Just hop to bed and rest for a bit.
Poster 2 : I think I'd get it checked out...
Posters 3,4,5: OMG an Actual Doctor told her it was fine. You're the reason the NHS is on its knees etc.

Total nonsense thus becomes gospel truth.

NoSauce · 23/08/2019 18:39

I just don't get why people post about their teen dds underwear, just stop and think am I feeding a perve before over sharing your own daughter's personal info

Fucking pervy trolls that’s why.

PortiaCastis · 23/08/2019 18:44

True but people answer them

NoSauce · 23/08/2019 18:54

I know, because they think everyone on the internet is real! Even after threads are consistently deleted because of being hairy handed.

poolblack · 23/08/2019 18:58

'My kid will only wear matching tracksuits' has just been posted. I must have read the same shit 20 times in the past few months.

NerrSnerr · 23/08/2019 19:19

What worries me is that people who believe this shit probably have children. If they can't think critically themselves and realise that really obvious stuff might not be true their children have no chance in learning internet safety.

It's the ones with the cheerleaders on the threads that annoy me. Remember the Oliver's Army one where the mum lied about her son having cancer? If you actually stopped and looked at the timeline it was obvious it was bollocks (I think there was blue lighting to hospital then). The other ones are when the OP posts about an abusive partner and they've confronted them, packed a bag and have got to their mum's house all within 17 minutes of starting the thread with time to post 6 updates in this time.

chickenyhead · 23/08/2019 19:21

Surely if you lie you get caught out? I cannot remember lies very well so keep them small and irrelevant to try to muddy RL recognition (that said, anyone that knows me would know straight away who I am anyway!)

Happyspud · 23/08/2019 20:16

There are people who are light on critically thinking and then there’s people who think they’re ‘smart’ because they are wise to trolls. Ironically it’s the later that’s missed the point.

Happyspud · 23/08/2019 20:16

Critical thinking

Happyspud · 23/08/2019 20:17

There’s .... there are😅

skybluee · 23/08/2019 21:19

I hate the fact that people lie on here. Especially when it's personal posts.

The ones about food don't bother me as I think with that it's basically miscalculation. A bit like on Secret Eaters when the people are sure they only eat a little amount then they follow them around and realise they're not accurate and when it's added up it's way more.

Some of the ones that disturb me are when people lie about random stuff that doesn't even matter. Like there was a thread about someone who had a dog appear in her garden or something. It turned out she made the whole thing up - but why?

The saddest is people lying about personal situations, anything emotional and the wage threads because that can affect other people.

chickenyhead · 23/08/2019 21:25

@skybluee

The food ones do sometimes bother me though, surely I cannot be the only person on MN not cooking from scratch 24/7? Inferior much...

PickingUpLicks · 23/08/2019 21:51

A few years ago there was a 'famous novelist' who was on every thread regarding money/ wealth. I never saw them post on any other kind of thread at all, just the gosh I'm so fabulously rich ones.
Obviously they couldn't possibly say which books they'd written but if it was anything like their posts they must have been bloody boring ones.

RottnestFerry · 23/08/2019 22:05

Some posters are men!

I'm a man. I've never made any secret of it.

I posted a pic of my wife once and a couple of people accused me of making her up. WTF?

Oblomov19 · 23/08/2019 22:09

I don't understand the point OP.
And yes I too went to a few MN Christmas parties many many moons ago. My default is nit to think that people lie.