To be irritated by the UK-centric assumptions on here

[saraclara]

Many posters here seem blissfully ignorant of the fact that the internet is a worldwide thing. Yes, this site is based in the UK, but that should be as far as it goes. Clearly there's somewhat of a UK focus which is fine up to a point. But...

Every second thread seems to end up with someone in the covid police trying to threadjack it because a hapless poster from a country that's not in lockdown, posts about being on holiday/vacation or visiting relatives, or doing something else that's not allowed here at the moment. Why do the threadjackers assume that everyone on here is British?

Seriously, the insularity here is really weird. I've not seen it on any other forum. I belong to two based in the US, but no-one assumes that posters on them must all be American.

If I was posting on an American forum, I would clarify in the OP that I was based in the UK.

I really don't get why posters don't do that on here, it would satisfy the Covid police and prevent confusion.

@Theluggage15

I don’t live in the UK and would think it’s up to me to point that out on a UK based board so as not to cause any confusion in certain discussions. As for talking about the US not being insular, that must be a joke.

Having travelled extensively in the US, not only are they very internationally insular, there is a large amount of insularity between states!

At least the British don't refer to their Prime Minister as 'leader of the free world'. I live in the free world, as do many people who aren't American.

It is very much English centric

I think this is true to a certain extent. I'm American, but I have lived in Scotland so I'm particularly interested in all things Scots, especially education as that is what I was in Scotland for. But there are constant references to the British education system when people mean the English education system. Americans are guilty of this on MN as well.

@MustardMitt

The site is called MUMSNET.

It is a UK based company.

It is not outrageous to assume that most users are both British and mothers.

If an OP doesn’t clarify this before they start, then certain assumptions are made because this is an online facility and no one knows you.

Well I am British, and a mother.

But I don't live in the UK.

Do I need to preface every post with this?

When I post something about sewing, should I mention it?

When I post something about an area of London that I lived in for many years, should I mention it?

When I post about stuff that happened when my kids were at school in the UK, should I mention it?

When I was on the C25K thread should I have made it clear that I was not in the UK?

If I want to comment on the latest episode of Casualty do I need to mention it?

You are being ridiculous.

I belong to two based in the US, but no-one assumes that posters on them must all be American.

What absolute bullshit.

A very large proportion of Americans assume everyone else on the entire internet is from the USA and if not, they are just wrong and weird. For one instance, they regularly complain or arrogantly issue corrections on YouTube video comments if the content creator uses British English instead of American English and God help anyone doing a narration style video if they use a non American accented voice over. That leads to accusations of "I can't understand you, you need to hire an American to do the voice" all the time, even if the English being spoken is perfectly clear to everyone who speaks English themselves from every other country who cares to go looking for content in the English language.

There are plenty of web sites that are whatever other country centric and an extremely large number that are American centric. Given that, why do you believe this one is out of line not to be so and needs to change. I don't go on to America based web forums and expect them to change to suit little old me.

Presumably there are many other countries with their own websites. The Swedish language ones will be Swedish, Japanese language ones Japanese etc.

But in the Anglosphere websites ads American unless they make an effort to assert otherwise.

@stackemhigh

I post from Ireland. Same time zone doesn't mean same country does it?

But Ireland isn’t in the UK, as we keep getting told on the other running thread right now about breaking up of the UK.

Wtf are you talking about?

It’s NOT part of the U.K.

You needed to be told that on a mumsnet post? Do you not have access to books?

It’s irritating when there’s a drip later they are not in uk - there was a separation/divorce one that turned out to be Irish several pages in, law very different there

This. It is incredibly annoying when someone starts asking for advice about buying a property and then after 25 people have posted says they're in Scotland. Nobody up til that point will have known to mention LBTT, your solicitor helping you make an offer, or compulsory home reports.

@Theluggage15

I don’t live in the UK and would think it’s up to me to point that out on a UK based board so as not to cause any confusion in certain discussions. As for talking about the US not being insular, that must be a joke.

This. it's a UK site. Others are very welcome, but shouldn't then try and take it over or upbraid people for starting from that assumption.

@SenecaFallsRedux

It is very much English centric

I think this is true to a certain extent. I'm American, but I have lived in Scotland so I'm particularly interested in all things Scots, especially education as that is what I was in Scotland for. But there are constant references to the British education system when people mean the English education system. Americans are guilty of this on MN as well.

Not just that, the school system can vary depending on which part of England you are on. It’s SE/London centric IMO.

I guess you don't use reddit then? Everyone assumes your murican on there unless you state otherwise.

Indeed. American posters on Reddit have corrected my (already correct) English 🤣.

Its a uk site so what do you expect ? If I posted in a us or Australian site I would expect the same , just common sense surely

@stackemhigh

Calm down *@OhCaptain*

The point is it’s a UK website, why does every poster needs to mention Ireland every time?

Again, wtf are you talking about?

Firstly, I was responding to someone mentioning British people not posting at nighttime.

Secondly, every poster hasn't mentioned Ireland.

Thirdly, even if they had just what is your problem with that.

@MNHQ have never said it's only for UK posters. Last I checked it was ok for me or anyone to mention Ireland - unless they want to come on the thread and say differently.

Most insular post ever. Vintage small world view

So if I went of to a German Single Fathers website and assumed that the majority of posters were German men would that be a small world view?

And to a pp, no you don’t need to point out you are not in the uk on every single post about sewing, relationship or cat ownership but it is useful to know if you start a post about house buying, school places or baking.

@OhCaptain You pounced on someone who said that because there are few threads between 12-6am, they assumed most posters were from the UK. Of course there’s no problem with mentioning Ireland generally.

[quote stackemhigh]@OhCaptain You pounced on someone who said that because there are few threads between 12-6am, they assumed most posters were from the UK. Of course there’s no problem with mentioning Ireland generally.[/quote]
Pounced?

I said I post from Ireland and that the same time zone didn't mean the same country.

You decided to get snotty with thinly-veiled xenophobia. Nobody pounced. Except perhaps you.

if you start a post about house buying, school places or baking.

And for two of those, which country in the UK.

@user234987653

" I belong to two based in the US, but no-one assumes that posters on them must all be American.

What absolute bullshit.

A very large proportion of Americans assume everyone else on the entire internet is from the USA and if not, they are just wrong and weird. For one instance, they regularly complain or arrogantly issue corrections on YouTube video comments if the content creator uses British English instead of American English and God help anyone doing a narration style video if they use a non American accented voice over. That leads to accusations of "I can't understand you, you need to hire an American to do the voice" all the time, even if the English being spoken is perfectly clear to everyone who speaks English themselves from every other country who cares to go looking for content in the English language.

There are plenty of web sites that are whatever other country centric and an extremely large number that are American centric. Given that, why do you believe this one is out of line not to be so and needs to change. I don't go on to America based web forums and expect them to change to suit little old me."

Let us remind the oversea Anglophones that English is just that. There is American, Australia and Canadian English (amongst many others) but there is original modern English. This is English not UK or British English.

Many other languages have international variants too as Canadian French would differ from Swiss French, Portuguese would differ slightly from Brazilian or African Portuguese and all the individual Latin American Spanish differ slightly from the original Spanish.

I was previously based in the USA (shorter time frame in Canada) and note Americans in particular are keen on using shortened made up relaxed American "drive thru" English which initially appears like marketing slogan catch phrases. Do not mistake English from other overseas variants. Just stating obvious facts as in an increasingly Americanised and Chinese internet dominated by overseas English and Chinese - some tend to wrongly accuse English is incorrect when in fact it is their newly shorted versions that are incorrect.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ListoffdialectsoffEnglish

I find the Covid boards very irritable and anxiety-making so I avoid them quite carefully and perhaps therefore don’t see what OP is referring to.

What I do see is posters making inferences based on posts and then asking if someone is based in the UK, for example if a poster on the pregnancy board refers to their OB-GYN or if someone is asking about an Italian / Japanese / whatever name on baby names.

I post from Ireland. Same time zone doesn't mean same country does it

Of course not.

But it does imply that many posters are from a similar region of the world rather than being from more far flung places such as Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

In general.

So given that most activity is between UK day time hours and that most posters post in English, it's a fair assumption that they are likely to be from the UK or Ireland.

And given the relative population sizes, it's far more likely to be someone from the UK than from Ireland.

Cor blimey guvnor. I thinks the OP's needing a spoonful of sugar me old China.

Of course most of this site is uk/English centric. That's because people read things through the lens of their own experiences, and as.most people on this site are in England/UK then that will be the default.

@TellingBone

I guess you don't use reddit then? Everyone assumes your murican on there unless you state otherwise.

Yes, absolutely.

@Unhomme

Cor blimey guvnor. I thinks the OP's needing a spoonful of sugar me old China.

Of course most of this site is uk/English centric. That's because people read things through the lens of their own experiences, and as.most people on this site are in England/UK then that will be the default.

Do Scottish* people come on, read a school/property/law experience that doesn't match theirs and start accusing the OP of lying or trolling? Or, do they assume that the OP is posting from their own experience and ask for more information? (or more often than not just assume they are in England as to do otherwise is a sin)

*or other nationality