AIBU or is Mumsnet particularly hysterical?

[hellisotherpeopleandhorlicks]

In the last twenty minutes I've read threads on societal collapse, civil unrest, war all breaking out in the next year. I've seen people hysterically telling an OP to leave a husband or slept in accidentally, and others encouraging people to panic buy for Brexit while disputing the fact that what they are encouraging is in fact panic buying.

Is Mumsnet generally a good representation of people's views in your circles do you find? Or do people post their true feelings here, ones they wouldn't speak out loud do you think? IE anxieties about things like civil unrest?

I'm just curious really as to whether people read threads on mumsnet and feel that they're a bit OTT and scare mongering or whether they think they're a good representation of the general vibe in their area or circle?

There is a lots of bollocks posted on here. Tbh I view this as an entertainment site and nothing more. I take very very little of it seriously.

Maybe you could use a term that is less dismissive of women and also more respectful and insightful about psychological distress and emotion?

I've had to come over to AIBU for a little while to calm down - my evil harridan of a MIL has bought my DD a dress made of POLYESTER!! As if last weeks incident where she fed her non-organic hummus wasn't bad enough, now the irresponsible mare is trying to put PLASTIC and CHEMICALS on my daughters SKIN!

@hellisotherpeopleandhorlicks

I'm not normally an anxious person but I feel really stressed tonight after reading some of the things on here And I'm not oblivious to the world, I consider myself to be quite savvy as I come from the media world so have an understanding of how it all works and can read between the lines

Then for heaven's sake, NEVER go on Twitter.

@AlternativePerspective

The word misogynist is over used on here, and generally used to describe words people don’t like because they hit a bit close to home.

In fact the posters calling the OP and needing to respond “don’t use such misogynistic terms”rather than actually responding to the thread make the OP’s point beautifully.

In fact I’d say that “don’t use such a misogynistic term” is in itself a pretty hysterical response....

Er no. This is a rational response based on a good understanding of the evolution of the term and also the sort f psychological state to which I assume you are trying to refer.

The word doesn't hit any sort of target because it is being used so ineptly.

If you want to insult your fellow posters, why not be more adept about it?

@ViciousJackdaw

I've had to come over to AIBU for a little while to calm down - my evil harridan of a MIL has bought my DD a dress made of POLYESTER!! As if last weeks incident where she fed her non-organic hummus wasn't bad enough, now the irresponsible mare is trying to put PLASTIC and CHEMICALS on my daughters SKIN!

Evil. You don't have a mil problem tho! It's a DH problem. You should ltb before he turns even more abusive.

What about the thread where the OP had seen a work colleague out with another colleague and wanted to tell his wife? The suggestions of “have them followed, ring the hotel and pretend to be the OW and ask for a receipt, get a burner phone and ring the wife,” to name but a few were astounding.

Oh and the thread where a OP had received a scam message from someone she had met several years ago saying that he was in a terrible position and needed money, his wife and child were both dead and life was hard. People were suggesting that perhaps he thought of OP as someone who could help him, and how wrong it was to doubt him, despite the fact that A, this bloke hadn’t spoken to the OP in over seven years, and B, these scams are rife on the internet.

But what is this fabric softener thread of which you speak.

The term hyperbolic is offensive to those of us with bolics.

In answer to your question OP, YANBU. People on here get wound up about the slightest thing sometimes. Understandable though during this unpredictable and awful situation, anxiety is running high.

@hellisotherpeopleandhorlicks

In the last twenty minutes I've read threads on societal collapse, civil unrest, war all breaking out in the next year. I've seen people hysterically telling an OP to leave a husband or slept in accidentally, and others encouraging people to panic buy for Brexit while disputing the fact that what they are encouraging is in fact panic buying.

Is Mumsnet generally a good representation of people's views in your circles do you find? Or do people post their true feelings here, ones they wouldn't speak out loud do you think? IE anxieties about things like civil unrest?

I'm just curious really as to whether people read threads on mumsnet and feel that they're a bit OTT and scare mongering or whether they think they're a good representation of the general vibe in their area or circle?

No most people I know have differing views to the majority of Mumsnetters.

I have avoided the CV threads since April as I found myself getting stressed and anxious when I am not like that usually at all.

I think that you end up down a rabbit hole where every one is winding everyone else up and then getting more stressed and so the winding up gets worse and so on.

I do think that there is a group of panickers on MN who will only look at the worst possible case scenario and frankly I wonder how they get any sleep!

If MN was just like all the people I know it wouldn't be particularly interesting.

No because we don’t call anyone hysterical. That’s misogynistic.

I genuinely love the fact that so many posters are picking at my comment and trying to show how witty they are by repeatedly using the word hysterical, while telling me that I’ve no right to give my opinion. These same posters are accusing me of being “hysterical”, while ranting at me. You couldn’t make it up.

🤣 @hellisotherpeopleandhorlicks

Some posters have a lot of repressed anger ...just ignore them

Things definitely get very emphatic on here in a way I rarely if ever encounter in person. Sometimes I mention IRL something that is a common theme on here and people look confused.

@greenemerald. Thousands of years ago the Greeks saw loud anxiety as an imbalance in humours, stemming from the uterus aka womb - hence hys-te-ri-cal. Same word, geddit.

It's often used to describe women's feelings rudely, although not always. Donald Trump, for example, is an hysteric, which is also an insult.

The Ancient Greeks were not renowned for their medical knowledge, as you might have gathered, or their love of anything in a skirt except an underage boy. But they were all subsequent Europeans had by way of learning at the time, so it stuck.

MN is the nation's Hysteria HQ. But it's a lot better than those men's rights forums or reddit.

@MrsDrudge

The term hyperbolic is offensive to those of us with bolics.

In answer to your question OP, YANBU. People on here get wound up about the slightest thing sometimes. Understandable though during this unpredictable and awful situation, anxiety is running high.

This

The extreme responses, mass paranoia, and absolute assertion that every man must be having an affair regardless of the nature of the reported concern, are why MN is entertaining and at times hilarious. They aren't the responses you would get from your day to day rational friends, so feel like they come from left field. As a great comedian once said 'my expectations were confounded and from thence the humour arose' .

Nobody dare go against the general direction of the thread in case they get lynched, as though there is comfort in the solidarity of all being of one view, no matter how ridiculous.

@AestheticWitch

Nobody dare go against the general direction of the thread in case they get lynched, as though there is comfort in the solidarity of all being of one view, no matter how ridiculous.

Thankfully I’m passed caring what upsets posters with that mindset. I’ve seen what groupthink has caused and want no part of that.

I knew people would jump on the word 'hysterical'...

Thereby proving they are hysterical. YANBU, far too many users are utterly ridiculous on here. Handing out life ruining advice based on one bloody post. The amount of LTB's you see daily is staggering (obviously not talking about when someone is clearly being abused. Luckily plenty of sensible users come in and provide genuine support in these situations, which is a relief).

And, my god, the holier-than-thou attitudes. I remember an awful thread from lockdown when a distressed mum was posting about her son who has autism and how one trip out a day wasn't enough. It was heartbreaking to read. And yet, the amount of curtain-twitching buffoons that came on and told her how selfish she was being and she needed to suck it up. Disgusting. Luckily the government sent out exemption letters but honestly, imagine being that much of a bastard to someone you don't even fucking know. I can't even imagine how she felt after reading the replies.

The Covid threads did it for me, to be honest. I can't respect users who genuinely think it's acceptable to bully essential workers, to harass strangers in the street over mask wearing and who start screaming like a bloody banshee over someone daring to quickly nip past them in a shop when they were 1.8m away from them instead of 2m .

If you think Mumsnet is 'hysterical' you clearly haven't been on any other online media or news outlet. As for Twitter...

Look at the comments section of any newspaper, or another online chat forum.
You'll soon realise Mumsnet is an oasis of calm and balanced sanity in comparison.

There are over one million registered users of Mumsnet. Of course you'll see the odd ott post. As you will anywhere that attracts a large diverse group of individuals.

It’s an internet site, for venting on. Anxieties that would irl be more dissipated feed on each other. But we are in for bad times now.

@herecomesthsun

Maybe you could use a term that is less dismissive of women and also more respectful and insightful about psychological distress and emotion?

"Are mumsnetters more prone to abnormal psychosocial behaviours in normal situations?"

?

@AlternativePerspective

The word misogynist is over used on here, and generally used to describe words people don’t like because they hit a bit close to home.

In fact the posters calling the OP and needing to respond “don’t use such misogynistic terms”rather than actually responding to the thread make the OP’s point beautifully.

In fact I’d say that “don’t use such a misogynistic term” is in itself a pretty hysterical response....

...without really understanding the meaning of the words being used