to think that a perfectly harmless and hilarious thread shouldn't be deleted

[SeeMyLanyardAndWeepBitch]

Just because the poster is new and on (what we suspect might be) a bit of a wind up? I mean what actual rules are broken and what harm done?

PLEASE DON'T DELETE THIS THREAD FOR BEING A TAT. I am referencing a previous deleted thread, but my point is less about that thread and more about the prevailing culture on here these days concerning what is considered off limits.

The thread I have in mind wasn't offensive, just daft. A spoof. No person with a protected characteristic (or humble but doughty shop worker) was offended, harmed or triggered in the making of said thread.

Are spoofs and very obvious tongue in cheek wind ups no longer to be tolerated on MN?

This place has changed. It used to be fun. We could all take a joke once. What has happened?

YANBU: This place has changed. Way too serious now.

YABU: I am a sanctimonious Guardian reading arse who sees no humour in anything.

@PartyPrawnRingGames

One of my favourite threads ever was like this the Balonz one, I agree it's the witty replies that make them.

I agree, Balonz was fantastic - and would be deleted in seconds now

What's PBP?

Op I couldn't agree more and mods need to discuss this and take it higher.

We all need a good laugh sometimes.

I've wished for a list of deleted threads sometimes, simply as you go back to check on something to find its disappeared and its was perfectly normal when you last saw it.

I love the Kondo principle idea!
It's frustrating when a juicy thread disappears.
I'd like the gen pop to sometimes be allowed to descend like wolves and bring down a bad 'un.

@JanuaryBluehoo

There was a really jokey thread in Christmas, are you giving your staff a tip.. Very clearly taking the mic out of people who employ staff.. From the past.. Unfortunately the fun suckers who were unable to detect the irony got their teeth into it and sucked it dry.

That was so obviously just a joke, can't believe it got taken down!

There's been several troll threads over the last few days, op's first post on site, drama ramping up over a couple of posts, lots of serious advice given, op doesn't come back. These threads are annoying because the op is obviously hokum, and people waste time reading long overblown first post.

I've reported a couple but they're still standing. I think an obvious troll post with funny replies is a bit of a relief......

@JanuaryBluehoo

There was a really jokey thread in Christmas, are you giving your staff a tip.. Very clearly taking the mic out of people who employ staff.. From the past.. Unfortunately the fun suckers who were unable to detect the irony got their teeth into it and sucked it dry.

Yes i remember. Everyone got enraged about posh/rich people lauding it over their minions.

The thread that was deleted today was loosely in a similar vein. Not the same but similar.

@User12398712

I think troll thread deletion should be based on Kondo principles. Does it bring joy? If so, keep it, if not, into the trash it goes.

Absolutely!

i love that.

@Crowdfundingforcake

There's been several troll threads over the last few days, op's first post on site, drama ramping up over a couple of posts, lots of serious advice given, op doesn't come back. These threads are annoying because the op is obviously hokum, and people waste time reading long overblown first post.

I've reported a couple but they're still standing. I think an obvious troll post with funny replies is a bit of a relief......

Yes, exactly.

Are we not intelligent enough to know the difference? Do we really need protecting from people start bizarre conversations to provoke a reaction, so long as it's not bullying or hateful in content?

I didn’t see the thread but in general I would agree that rather than the atmosphere being friendly and supportive and humorous it’s now aggressive and unhappy, somehow.

@KeepYaHeadUp

What's PBP?

PBP is previously banned poster

@KeepYaHeadUp

What's PBP?

A previously banned poster

100% agree. In fact some posters have been deleted in their entirety for doing so much as an April Fool type spoof.

Heaven knows we need some fun in these times and the 'trigger happy' MN team sometimes need to chill and not reach for the delete button just because they got out of bed the wrong side that morning.

Don't mind the amusing spoof threads, but really don't like the pile-ons which have become increasingly prevalent & wish MN would police them more effectively.

There can be a tendency for really nasty 'groupthink' for some very benign issues.

I'm sick of reading a story, then never finding it again...the recent parking g one for a start

I think it’s worth remembering that if you de-reg your account then it can’t be traced back to other accounts. So if you post a thread, post a troll post whether it be lighthearted or not, and then de-reg your account, if you come back trolling again that can’t be traced back to you.

And one of the reasons given for deleting even the lighthearted troll threads where an OP has joined especially to troll, often go on to become more serious trolls hence why no trolling is tolerated.

Personally I think more threads here are bollocks than aren’t. In fact I think that the name change facility means that posters can essentially troll here with impunity because a troll thread is only picked up if it’s reported, and because so many mn’ers take everything seriously, and because some posters can post convincingly,a lot more troll threads remain than don’t.

YANbU it's a joke - this site is like a children's website sometimes not grown adults.

It's like the site doesn't want any kind of free speech anymore.

And in essence, if a PBP joins with a new account, posts a lighthearted troll thread then deregisters, they don’t show up as a pbp because the account has gone.

So creating an account to post a lighthearted troll post then deleting it could be seen as a potential pbp sticking two fingers up saying “ha ha I still managed to come back.”

I do agree re the aggressive tone of the sight now, but tbh I think that’s what happens when you sell out to the tabloids.

If you don't like the rules about trolling, other forums are available you know...

@LavenderAskew

Yes, I think it might be the case. I know that "MN isn't what it used to be" is as a common comment (and always has been) but there really does seem to be a lot of miserable angry posters about. Whilst these have always existed the type feels like it's edged into a majority.

I think once "light hearted" had to be put into the subject marked the decline. Now even with light hearted there is a post right at the start who has a humour bypass angry about different opinion to theirs. I warrant something like "which way do you hang your loo roll?" could end up a violent bun fight 😆.

Yeah I agree with this. I love the lighthearted ones but I'm also quite a boring poster and I love the sort of threads that are just chatty 'what do you think about this' type of threads. (I like it as I'm a bit lonely at work since covid so it replaces the staffroom day to day chat for me) I've noticed recently that these types of threads get really miserable or deliberately obtuse people on, or thread police who just say 'childish- why are you posting OP? ' or "why are you asking strangers on the internet?" Totally tedious.

Are you talking about the Brats thread? That was funny in its ridiculousness. It was only a matter of time before that one was deleted. I didn’t see the Christmas one. That should have stayed by the sound of it.

I don’t know if it is just the tabloids. I think part of it is a natural change, the women who joined MN with babies in say, 2008, when the site was reasonably well established, now have 14 year olds and have probably moved on.

I think there was a sort of bite here once and maybe some posters try to emulate that by just being rude, but while being witty and sharp is one thing, just being grumpy and misconstruing what someone said ‘so you hate your MIL and want her dead then, OP? ’ isn’t funny, it’s just unpleasant.

I think Jeffrey, for those who remember it, and then the 2016 referendum when the site imploded for what felt like months, were big factors in the site changing.

Then of course covid and lockdowns seem to have led to a lot of pent up aggression. It’s been a gradual change but if you go back to even four years ago there’s a big difference in the tone of a lot of replies.

I think the problem with leaving it up is that people will start doing threads the the aim of being totally hilarious and getting lots of people telling them that.
You already get it a bit with classics. "Accidental" typos, or something to do with farting often comes across as wanting to get a thread in classics. They're generally nothing like as funny as the OP thinks they are.
They do leave some fun threads up, although less recently.

I do object to "closing it due to real life concerns"/"due to the Op being recognisable" when it's clearly because they didn't get the validation they wanted.

I'd be interested to know how many people are reporting this thread for being a TAAT. I see quite a few posters "boasting" about how many reports they make. I can understand it for obvious trolling, personal attacks and deliberate misinformation but too many people seem to claim threads are one of theses things when they're not really. I can count on one hand the number of reports I've made, there were a couple of particularly nasty personal attacks and a couple of obvious unpleasant trolls. I'm sure there are people who patrol the boards just looking for things to report.

I think the fun sponges and thought police are a minority but they tend to be vocal and vitriolic so other people are deterred from challenging them because most people don't want to get involved in a bun fight.

There have been some hilarious threads which may not have been real but have been good natured but have ended up deleted which is a real shame. I think after the last two years we could all do with a laugh.