To say that there is a huge amount of anti vax threads allowed on mumsnet?

[visitingagain]

I fully expect this to be taken down but I am getting completely fed up with the number of anti vax and anti mask threads on mumsnet at the moment. People should be allowed to express views but some of the misinformation is shocking.

And I'm certainly not challenging it this time round. The abuse is unreal

I completely disagree. Those questioning the vaccines are few and far between. MN seems to be swarming in very angry pro vax militants from what I've seen, wishing death and suffering upon those who don't want the vaccine, and those posts are allowed to stand🤷‍♀️

@Toty

I completely disagree. Those questioning the vaccines are few and far between. MN seems to be swarming in very angry pro vax militants from what I've seen, wishing death and suffering upon those who don't want the vaccine, and those posts are allowed to stand🤷‍♀️

I agree

Personally I think that all covid related threads should be in the COVID topic. That way all the people who want to go on and on and on about COVID can do so to their hearts content, and anyone who doesn’t want to read about it can just hide the entire topic.

That way you’re not sensoring or controlling discussion, you’re just putting it in the area it belongs.

The day before yesterday though I reported a thread from an antivaxxer who was curtailing her daughter’s freedom because she had decided not to have the vaccine because everyone who did were sheep and do-gooders and various other inflammatory wordings. She was so blatantly antivaxx it was plain to see. But when MN said they were taking the thread down to check out the OP behind the scenes she said “that’s totally fine, I understand that you need to check me out,” when I looked at the deletion message later it said the thread had been deleted because the OP had continually broken talk guidelines. somehow I don’t think she would have agreed that that was “fine” if that’s what MN had originally written….

MN seems to be swarming in very angry pro vax militants from what I've seen, wishing death and suffering upon those who don't want the vaccine,

Quite, concern for the greater good does not appear to flow from the milk of human kindness.

One of the biggest problems with the CV topic is that there's so many threads asking exactly the same thing, and new ones asking the same thing again pop up daily.
Being able to answer a lot of the questions requires a fully functioning crystal ball, and speculation seems to be relished.
Then there's all the mask/vaccine stuff over and over.

I did think about hiding the whole thing but it's interesting to read some of the stuff that posters believe sometimes, and it's really good when someone at least attempts to relay some possible good news (even though generally they are told to manage their expectations.)

@Sparklingbrook

Mask is just one part of the responsibility of shop workers

Most of the people I know that work in retail say they can't intervene if they happen to notice someone isn't wearing a mask. I don't agree it's a 'responsibility' and they shouldn't challenge.

I don't know if this is different for security guards etc, but I guess they have responsibilities to stop theft as a priority. And I don't know if mystery shoppers should be challenging people wearing masks incorrectly.

There was a thread on here asking about the shop owner's responsibilities and the consensus was that as long as they had a sign up and a supply of masks should someone ask there's not much else they can do legally.

Can tell you don't work in retail 😂

I offered tell customers to pull their mask up when it's under chins and noses.... they are wearing it, so not exempt. So don't pull it down to speak to me!!!

Bloody rude

Yes I agree , we have to be observant so do notice the details.... mystery shoppers, thieves..., it's rife right now

Can tell you don't work in retail

I know quite a few people that do and have done, both food and non food, including DS. I do work with the public though.

Masks are probably pretty good but you’d need to wear them all the time, including school and being at home with others in your household. This is where a lot of transmission occurs.

There should be debate on everything. We don’t live in a dictatorship and people should be allowed to question whatever they want. Usually healthy debate brings solutions that can work well.
People have personal concerns and experiences. They shouldn’t be dismissed blindly and told to shut up.

@Sparklingbrook I have tried to avoid but it comes up in my active tab... and the cv topic is absolutely full of misinformation. @TheScenicWay and many others on here suggest we should have a healthy debate about covid and anything else is censorship/ dictatorship etc. There are a good few topics on Mumsnet which are absolute no go areas and no one complains about them being heavily moderated. Why is covid different?

no one complains about them being heavily moderated

I'm not sure which topics they are, are they moderated in a different way in that they are constantly monitored rather than MNHQ have to have it reported?
I do have a lot of topics hidden, but also hide threads as I go from Active without opening them if needs be.

Mumsnet have never really moderated the site anyway. Back when it first started out HQ used to post with us

They rely on reports. It's not like other forums where they are over run with 'moderators'

That's what confused me, that there's a good few topics that are 'heavily moderated', but assume that meant that when things are posted they get deleted swiftly after they are reported maybe?

I assume that on the CV board where people are stating things as fact, if it's reported MNHQ have to establish exactly how factual it actually is which takes time.

I certainly don't think people have a right to have an opinion about whether masks or vaccines are effective.

I too find this a disturbing comment, along with "We are past debating. What is there to debate?"

I'm very pro-vaccine (much as I don't like having them or the side-effects, which people should also be able to talk about without being decried) but I absolutely support anyone's right to a) choose and b) question. I know a few people who are full-on It's Bill Gates Coming To Get Us, which I don't have any respect for (other than it usually coming from quite vulnerable people, so there's no point arguing) and another few who have decided, based on risks and practicalities, that vaccines aren't for them, and I DO respect that. It's not my viewpoint or choice but I respect theirs.

People like the OP cause the very problem they complain of, as their black-and-white thinking, lack of nuance or respect for any view other than their own and their haste to denigrate and mock anyone who opines differently, for whatever reason, just drives people away. Frankly their lack of tolerance makes me side more with the anti-vaxxers/vaccine-refusers/vaccine-hesitant and feel even more strongly about defending their right not to be bullied by sanctimonious arseholes.

@BrightYellowDaffodil

I certainly don't think people have a right to have an opinion about whether masks or vaccines are effective.

I too find this a disturbing comment, along with "We are past debating. What is there to debate?"

I'm very pro-vaccine (much as I don't like having them or the side-effects, which people should also be able to talk about without being decried) but I absolutely support anyone's right to a) choose and b) question. I know a few people who are full-on It's Bill Gates Coming To Get Us, which I don't have any respect for (other than it usually coming from quite vulnerable people, so there's no point arguing) and another few who have decided, based on risks and practicalities, that vaccines aren't for them, and I DO respect that. It's not my viewpoint or choice but I respect theirs.

People like the OP cause the very problem they complain of, as their black-and-white thinking, lack of nuance or respect for any view other than their own and their haste to denigrate and mock anyone who opines differently, for whatever reason, just drives people away. Frankly their lack of tolerance makes me side more with the anti-vaxxers/vaccine-refusers/vaccine-hesitant and feel even more strongly about defending their right not to be bullied by sanctimonious arseholes.

Hear hear 👏🏻👏🏻

I think the never ending debating of the same old subjects surrounding CV (masks/vaccines/lockdowns and guessing the possibility of one being the ones that spring to mind) drives people away.

@BrightYellowDaffodil

I certainly don't think people have a right to have an opinion about whether masks or vaccines are effective.

I too find this a disturbing comment, along with "We are past debating. What is there to debate?"

I'm very pro-vaccine (much as I don't like having them or the side-effects, which people should also be able to talk about without being decried) but I absolutely support anyone's right to a) choose and b) question. I know a few people who are full-on It's Bill Gates Coming To Get Us, which I don't have any respect for (other than it usually coming from quite vulnerable people, so there's no point arguing) and another few who have decided, based on risks and practicalities, that vaccines aren't for them, and I DO respect that. It's not my viewpoint or choice but I respect theirs.

People like the OP cause the very problem they complain of, as their black-and-white thinking, lack of nuance or respect for any view other than their own and their haste to denigrate and mock anyone who opines differently, for whatever reason, just drives people away. Frankly their lack of tolerance makes me side more with the anti-vaxxers/vaccine-refusers/vaccine-hesitant and feel even more strongly about defending their right not to be bullied by sanctimonious arseholes.

Well said

@Tootsey11

Well I'm sick of the threads were if someone is unsure or just doesn't want the vaccines, other posters pile on calling them thick stupid selfish anti vaxxers. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Of course they’re entitled to an opinion. But to many people, what they’re not automatically entitled to do, is to endanger other people, not to mention taking up NHS beds when they’re sorely needed for patients awaiting ops for cancer, etc.

Three male neighbours (siblings) of ours, ‘weren’t sure’ about the jabs.
All three ended up in hospital for 2-3 weeks each, and came out very weak, needing sticks to walk very slowly and cautiously,
They’re all ‘sure’ now.

@visitingagain

I don't have a problem with different opinions but I do have a problem with misinformation. The only different opinion you can have on vaccines and masks is " I don't like them" and anything else you want to say about them is misinformation. Funnily enough a whole lot of posters now turn up to censor me for being censorious

So would it be misinformation, in your view, if someone were to point out masks make it harder for deaf people to communicate? As that's not, "I don't like them?" Am I allowed to point out my personal experience that my very young child doesn't interact normally with people who are wearing a mask?

I'm inclined to say someone is certainly spreading misinformation here...

Frankly their lack of tolerance makes me side more with the anti-vaxxers/vaccine-refusers/vaccine-hesitant and feel even more strongly about defending their right not to be bullied by sanctimonious arseholes.

It's jarring for me to find myself defending the rights of anti vaxxers because I'm very pro vaccine but I think it's more a defence of liberal democratic values. I'm sure China and North Korea have very high rates of vaccine compliance but I wouldn't want to live in either of those places and I think we should avoid emulating them.

It's jarring for me to find myself defending the rights of anti vaxxers because I'm very pro vaccine but I think it's more a defence of liberal democratic values. I'm sure China and North Korea have very high rates of vaccine compliance but I wouldn't want to live in either of those places and I think we should avoid emulating them.

I agree with this entirely. It sometimes sticks in my craw to defend that with which I don't agree , but I defend vociferously someone's right to have that opinion. That, to me, is the more important thing.

“It's jarring for me to find myself defending the rights of anti vaxxers because I'm very pro vaccine but I think it's more a defence of liberal democratic values. I'm sure China and North Korea have very high rates of vaccine compliance but I wouldn't want to live in either of those places and I think we should avoid emulating them.”

I agree with this too. People have genuine fears that they want to voice.
I listen to Dr John Campbell and he’s been saying for a while that often, poorly delivered vaccines are causing adverse effects and the vaccinators should be aspirating the needles. Isn’t this worth listening to?
If people are anxious, can we not share this advice and get them some reassurance instead of labelling them anti vaxxers?
When we question, listen and discuss we progress.

The only thing in my opinion that should be moderated is hateful speech and incitement to harm or cause physical damage.

I started off thinking Dr John Campbell was really interesting and informative, I remember him talking about aspirating the needles months ago. Now, I'm not too sure about him.

There’s misinformation on both sides. Someone posted the other day that if you have the booster you can’t catch or spread covid.

If you’re getting your covid info from mumsnet then you’ve got bigger problems though. 😬