To think that Mumsnet should clamp down on the scaremongering threads?

[callmeadoctor]

Thats it really, you come on Mumsnet and anxiety levels are ramped up. Surely thats not safe?

Russell your view on what it will be like to counter the mystic megs.

Some people aren’t taking it seriously enough. Plenty of people are taking it very seriously indeed. Repeatedly telling people who ARE following all the social distancing and isolation measures that they need to be more scared is what’s unhelpful. Some people absolutely are relishing in the drama and using “but I’m just helpfully raising awareness to support the NHS” as an excuse.

I also find it really disturbing how aggressive people are, and all the demonisation that's building up. The first thread I read on the virus a week ago, I think the OP was wondering if she could still visit her parents, and the first page of responses were almost all variations of 'fuck off', 'you selfish cunt', 'stop trying to murder my children', etc.

Very quickly people have decided there is only one virtuous response to all this, and anyone whose circumstances make it difficult to match this is evil. It's such a dangerous way to be thinking.

Very quickly people have decided there is only one virtuous response to all this, and anyone whose circumstances make it difficult to match this is evil. It's such a dangerous way to be thinking.

Yes.

The situation is ridiculous with posters tearing other posters apart for following government guidance just not all the random extra rules they have made up based on zero medical evidence apart from FB!

This is a way to behave just follow the government instruction.

Of course we need to listen to the experts, but people are so fixated on the epidemiology (because they think we're all going to die) that they are blocking out all the experts on the likely effects of our response. The scaremongering means people want total lockdown regardless of the costs, but what are those costs?

Angela Merkel has said the reason she is reluctant to have a total lockdown in Germany is because more people would die from suicide, abuse and overdoses than from the virus itself.

You can debate this, of course, but it's a debate we should have. If you suggest this on MN though, you're a selfish asshole who's going to get everyone killed.

The 7.5 weeks was, as I read it, a sarcastic reply to an unanswerable question. The fact that it is being taken as gospel says a lot.

There are also numerous posts with people just parrotting the "ring the number on the tin to get more baby milk" and other easily disprovable shite that they have seen on FB.

I keep seeing "I heard this from a doctor". No you didn't. You saw something on FB that claimed to be posted by a doctor and you have passed it on without checking any of it. This mythical doctor didn't pass the information on to you directly.

I am also astounded at the change in demographic of MN users. Soooooooooo many people with "friends in high places" who have no hesitation in passing on sensitive information, and the regular phone calls from Drs on the front line.

The "FB giveaway/loo roll theft" thread was a great example of how shamelessly people will claim that stuff actually happened to them.

I had a post deleted for pointing out someone who said they were an untrained allied health professional and had been told that as of monday they'd be working 12 hour shifts as a nurse because they have a degree was talking rubbish.

But the amount of 'its defo true, my Mums friend is a medical secretary and shes been told to do triage in A and E' posts left to stand was shocking.

Once I said i'd linked the thread in an email to the NMC asking them to reassure the public it was nonsense, the thread got deleted due to OPs 'privacy concerns' funnily enough.

Unfortunately, the scariest posts atm come from the WHO, leading epidemiologists and the government's COVID thinktank

Nope. Disagree. I’d far rather hear facts than unsubstantiated mystic meg predictions

I thought the original poster was trying to make the point that the facts are scary. Not trying to dismiss them as scaremongering.

@NewYearNewJob123

I was open-mouthed at that thread and well done for reporting it to the NMC.

Glad to hear it's gone.

Chardonnay just say there won’t be and why. If someone is that anxious about it you will help them.

I'm not why it's so difficult to understand what's the difference between sharing facts and information and spreading unfounded rumours.

Some posters just like to wallow in the drama, and like to create some on the side.

Chardonnay it’s not hard to get. What is hard to get is posters moan on here over and over and go on and on rather than just correcting the misinformation.

Absolutely. People are unravelling. I worry about the mental health of some poor people.

So basically you want MN to censor the threads that are telling you that this situation is severe because you don’t want to hear it? I suggest avoiding MN and all media.

So basically you want MN to censor the threads that are telling you that this situation is severe because you don’t want to hear it

No. Not one person said this- did you RTFT?

We want MN to remove scaremongering posts that contain inaccurate information, blatantly false facts and are promoting misinformation and rumour for the sole purpose of whipping up hysteria and end times nonsense.

Totally agree, Stephen Fry was just advising on people that are suffering from MH and saying not them to not access information other than "the truth".

Please people think before you add drama and how this affects others.

'Very quickly people have decided there is only one virtuous response to all this, and anyone whose circumstances make it difficult to match this is evil. It's such a dangerous way to be thinking.'

Another one agreeing very strongly with this.

Some people aren’t taking it seriously enough. Plenty of people are taking it very seriously indeed. Repeatedly telling people who ARE following all the social distancing and isolation measures that they need to be more scared is what’s unhelpful. Some people absolutely are relishing in the drama and using “but I’m just helpfully raising awareness to support the NHS” as an excuse.

Absolutely this. I work for my national government and am part of the response team. I am surrounded by the latest modelling for us and the facts as far as we have them. I am following the advice currently given in my country. I was getting mentally overwhelmed by many of the comments out there and have decided to heed the advice given to anyone with anxiety, which is to concentrate on the things you can control. The rest I am not looking at - however true the science is or however likely some of the social predictions are, I cannot change them. The fact that speculation is at the heart of 99% of social and mainstream media right now doesn’t help.

So I am doing my job, which is making a difference, following advice on social distancing, and dealing with my sadness about the immediate impact on my loved ones. The rest is noise that I need to stay away from for my own sanity, which means that I have mostly avoided MN for quite a while. In fact, to make my own C19 prediction, I think you will see a huge drop in usage if this carries on as I am now only using social media that allows me some escapism, and I know I’m not alone among my friends. MN is without a doubt the most stressful place on my usual internet journeys right now.

Catte so how should we be behaving? Staying inside or other?

@crapette

Me too - but it only went at OPs request because their bullshit had been called out!

Before that, you had people telling her what a hero she was as she said was scared she would undoubtedly harm or kill someone but was watching YouTube videos on nursing to prepare.

Along with the other bollocks. The person claiming they knew a Psychologist who has been redeployed to A and E was a highlight

The clue, Marsha, is in the 'those whose circumstances make it difficult to match this'. We should be doing everything we can in terms of staying at home, social distancing etc etc. You talk as if I'm advocating descending in hordes on the parks.

I've just seen another thread with a diabetic OP posting she's told her husband not to take her to hospital if she gets ill because she won't be treated and would rather die at home. This is the kind of individual fear and distress the scaremongering is causing.

YY Alexis

AIBU to be annoyed people are not socially distancing in line with Gov’t advice - Fine

AIBU to be worried if we will face the problems Italy is facing - Fine

AIBU to tell you the U.K. has more deaths than the rest of Europe put together - Utter bollocks and not fine

AIBU to tell you that my third cousin’s best friend’s youngest son is in the Army and he is preparing to be deployed to stop the books in the British Library being looted for loo paper - Scaremongering shite - not fine.

So basically you want MN to censor the threads that are telling you that this situation is severe because you don’t want to hear it?

"This is severe and it is very important we follow the rules about social distancing and isolation" = good.

"My friend's mum's dentist's dog sitter's aunt knows someone in high places and I've been reliably informed the army will be out on the street shooting people tomorrow and also the virus is now targeting 20-somethings with a 90% fatality rate and also we're all going to die and civilisation will collapse" = not good.

This is the kind of individual fear and distress the scaremongering is causing

Exactly. I saw that thread too. people are now asking if they should tell loved ones to NOT call an ambulance if they become deathly ill because whats the point? they'll be turned away from hospital anyway.

Thats the kind of damage that scaremongering causes. Look at all the empty supermarket shelves- that too has been caused by scaremongering. When will people realise this isn't bloody helping matters?