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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

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

159 replies

SeeMyLanyardAndWeepBitch · 08/01/2022 08:06

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. Sad 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.

OP posts:
LittleBearPad · 08/01/2022 09:20

@MargaretThursday

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.

But there isn’t a limit to the number of threads that can be started - there’s little harm in obviously ridiculous threads and they can add to the fun.

Agreed on the threads that get deleted because the OP has a strop when people don’t agree with them.

mumofEandE · 08/01/2022 09:20

As a PO has said it would be great to have a deleted thread section (unless it is offensive)
I assume this recent one was the lanyard one?
I missed the Balonz one - I see references to it but recently rejoined Mumsnet - and I feel left out!

mumofEandE · 08/01/2022 09:21

@mumofEandE

As a PO has said it would be great to have a deleted thread section (unless it is offensive) I assume this recent one was the lanyard one? I missed the Balonz one - I see references to it but recently rejoined Mumsnet - and I feel left out!
*PP not PO - I do know the Mumsnet abbreviations- just have fat(ter) fingers after Christmas!
MNHQ
YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet · 08/01/2022 09:37

Hello @SeeMyLanyardAndWeepBitch thanks for your thoughts and to everyone else who commented here. We're not sure what thread you mean. If you want to send us a mail with more info to [email protected], we'll take a look.

While we don't wish to encourage the trolls by leaving threads up as they laugh manically in their parent's basement - we don't want to be po-faced fun sponges either. We'll have a chat at HQ about all of this.

User12398712 · 08/01/2022 09:41

@mumofEandE

As a PO has said it would be great to have a deleted thread section (unless it is offensive) I assume this recent one was the lanyard one? I missed the Balonz one - I see references to it but recently rejoined Mumsnet - and I feel left out!
The Balonz thread is still here!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/baby_names/2197937-Help-Difficult-choice-of-boys-names-Sean-Daniel-or-Balonz

LavenderAskew · 08/01/2022 09:45

MargaretThursday the thing is that the OP tryomg to be funny ones have always been about. The crap ones used to just die a natural death, the genuinely funny ones ran one and were a fun.

Now the crap ones are full of posters angry that the OP tried to be funny or the OP angry that they weren't found funny, genuinely funny ones just seem full of people irritated that posters are childish or just being too serious.

I mean take my which way do you hang your loo roll. A poster might say "hanging down the back" to which another responds "what are you a monster!?!", now there just seems to be many poster who can't grasp that isn't a serious response and report or get defensive about it.

It's just odd. I blame Brexit (it was part of the agreement) and Covid (there's a humour removing serum in the vaccine).

BadLad · 08/01/2022 09:46

@YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet

Hello *@SeeMyLanyardAndWeepBitch* thanks for your thoughts and to everyone else who commented here. We're not sure what thread you mean. If you want to send us a mail with more info to [email protected], we'll take a look.

While we don't wish to encourage the trolls by leaving threads up as they laugh manically in their parent's basement - we don't want to be po-faced fun sponges either. We'll have a chat at HQ about all of this.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4447661-Brats?msgid=0#0

This ex-thread.

MNHQ
YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet · 08/01/2022 09:51

@BadLad ah - this was a persistently re-regging troll. Given some of their other v dodgy threads, it wasn't someone we wanted to encourage, even in the spirit of fun.

IncompleteSenten · 08/01/2022 09:51

The problem is the more you leave them up the more it encourages people who think they're funny to start more bollocks threads and before you know it MN is so obviously troll central that it's no longer as attractive to companies keen to advertise to parents

I expect they think of the £ factor.

LittleBearPad · 08/01/2022 10:09

@IncompleteSenten

The problem is the more you leave them up the more it encourages people who think they're funny to start more bollocks threads and before you know it MN is so obviously troll central that it's no longer as attractive to companies keen to advertise to parents

I expect they think of the £ factor.

But if they aren’t funny the thread just dies and no harm done.

MN used to be funnier and I blame fucking penisbeaker which was NOT funny!

KeepTwirling · 08/01/2022 10:21

While we don't wish to encourage the trolls by leaving threads up as they laugh manically in their parent's basement

🤣🤣🤣 Oh my God. Brutal!

  • we don't want to be po-faced fun sponges either. We'll have a chat at HQ about all of this.

I agree with the OP. Please have a chat about it and consider keeping some up. I know I have a similar thread on this too. MN is soooo serious now, it seems that only 'trolls' are able to start funny or potentially funny threads. The rest of us have lost our mojo. You can't even have a quick laugh with another poster on a thread without getting told off by someone [Didn't happen to me. It was an observation].

DrSbaitso · 08/01/2022 10:27

Is this about the sixth formers in lanyards thread?

Sparklingbrook · 08/01/2022 10:27

I thought the Brats thread might have been one of a series. You could tell as soon as the OP disappeared without a sinkhole reply.
It was quite funny in its ridiculousness but not worth keeping if it was a returning troll.

Sparklingbrook · 08/01/2022 10:27

Single not sinkhole

DrSbaitso · 08/01/2022 10:29

Oh yes, it was.

It wasn't funny, and even without the benefits of seeing behind the scenes, it was obviously a troll. Not a spoof, not a joke, just a really lame, low quality obvious troll. It adds nothing to the site to keep that kind of thing up, and it just encourages more shite trolls.

Sparklingbrook · 08/01/2022 10:32

Yes if MNHQ are required to keep troll threads up if they’re entertaining to some then where will it end? Shock

JanuaryBluehoo · 08/01/2022 10:45

Yet another becky, some threads are far too funny and sophisticated for jack in his parents basement to conjour up.

There must be distinction between obvious trouble makers and those wanting a light hearted laugh.

I'm afraid a core of posters on here actively try and shut down any attempt at light hearted humerous threads.

Mumsnet is here to support parents?
Having a good laugh is usually all the support we need.

Why have the joy suckers been allowed such power on here??

People who cannot grasp irony etc.
They shouldn't be allowed to be ruin fun threads.

JanuaryBluehoo · 08/01/2022 10:49

I had my own thread months ago which became very funny. I was posting about one aspect of something in laws did (food related) and the thread morphed into an extremely funny one.. I didn't mind because it cheered me up and I didn't feel attacked because what posters were laughing was OK.. They were making up scenarios they thought may have led to this food action.

I was then accused of being a troll.

This isn't right.

JanuaryBluehoo · 08/01/2022 10:50

Sparkling Brook its got to the point where anything funny is called a troll thread.

MsAgnesDiPesto · 08/01/2022 10:51

@JanuaryBluehoo

Yet another becky, some threads are far too funny and sophisticated for jack in his parents basement to conjour up.

There must be distinction between obvious trouble makers and those wanting a light hearted laugh.

I'm afraid a core of posters on here actively try and shut down any attempt at light hearted humerous threads.

Mumsnet is here to support parents?
Having a good laugh is usually all the support we need.

Why have the joy suckers been allowed such power on here??

People who cannot grasp irony etc.
They shouldn't be allowed to be ruin fun threads.

I think the problem is that not everyone does recognise irony, particularly in written form, so you get a mix of people playing along and pretending to take it seriously, and people actually taking it seriously and potentially getting agitated in the responses.

Good threads of this nature are clever enough to be recognisable, so that all the responses can reply in kind, but are superficially serious. The thread you’ve used as an example wasn’t clearly a spoof because it wasn’t clever or written with wit, so the responses were a mix of the above.

Viviennemary · 08/01/2022 10:52

I am sanctimonious but not a Guardian reader so won't vote. Didn't see the thread.

DappledThings · 08/01/2022 10:52

The spoof ones stand in my experience. This was my favourite because it referenced my favourite childhood book - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3984036-AIBU-to-let-them-camp-on-an-island-overnight

KeepTwirling · 08/01/2022 10:56

@JanuaryBluehoo

Yet another becky, some threads are far too funny and sophisticated for jack in his parents basement to conjour up.

There must be distinction between obvious trouble makers and those wanting a light hearted laugh.

I'm afraid a core of posters on here actively try and shut down any attempt at light hearted humerous threads.

Mumsnet is here to support parents?
Having a good laugh is usually all the support we need.

Why have the joy suckers been allowed such power on here??

People who cannot grasp irony etc.
They shouldn't be allowed to be ruin fun threads.

I agree with this.

By the way, I didn't read the Brats thread; I didn't think I'd be interested. Had I known...

Sparklingbrook · 08/01/2022 11:10

@JanuaryBluehoo

Sparkling Brook its got to the point where anything funny is called a troll thread.
I disagree with that. there's been a lot of funny threads that aren't trolls.
JanuaryBluehoo · 08/01/2022 11:15

I'm not a troll sparkling.

But my own thread which went very amusing, was littered with annoying posters calling me one, because I was enjoying my own thread??

Can you see how far gone the problem with the utter joy suckers has gone. Confused

Swipe left for the next trending thread