To think 90 percent of people wouldn't post what they post on here if it wasn't anonymous?

[EasterEggsComeAtMe]

So much sarcasm and vitriol sometimes! I have been guilty of engaging in a passionate debate here and there but I try to keep it respectful. When posters tag essentially complete strangers for a two word, sarcastic comment, add a full stop to a thread or slag something/ someone off with stress much venom aibu to think that if suddenly mumsnet waived the anonymity of it all there would be a lot of deeply ashamed people ? I sort of wish it would happen!

Yabu - I speak how I speak in real life and the exact same as if my name was attached
Yanbu - mumsnet anonymity allows bullies to surface with no repercussions

I would NEVER post under my real name/real identity. I have done this quite far back in the past in a local newspaper. (Letters page.) Quite honest political views, and opinions about things that did not go down well! Half my extended family were like , a few neighbours avoided me in the street and crossed the road to avoid me, and I got a warning at work.

It was a rough time, and loads of people wrote in with nasty comments about me personally - (and yet my comments and opinions were not directed at one person.) I also got shit smeared on my front door and eggs thrown at my window, I never EVER put my name to anything ever again.

Please don't ask me what I said, because I'm not going to say - even though it's anonymous on here!

I do think though @EasterEggsComeAtMe that if MN insisted on actual proof of your I.D, and asked for a payment off your debit card - even of 25p, to validate who you are - there would be no trolls or nasty vitriolic behaviour. Once 'approved' you can make up a pen-name fair enough and not your real name, but MN would have your real identity.

I do think it's good on here though, and prefer it as it is. And you can say a lot of what you can't say, on other parts of the internet ... without anyone knowing who you are. And this forum - especially when you see poll results - shows that not everyone thinks the way a lot of people on social media think. The silent majority if you like.

I don’t say anything on here that i wouldn’t say in real life, the only exception to this is if i am using a friend as an example of something i will change the details of the children around so if they were reading (lord knows why) they wouldn’t necessarily recognise themselves

If people couldn't name change and weren't anonymous none of the utter works of fiction that appear on here would make it online

I work in a helping profession that attracts trolls. I’ve gone off all social media except a locked down Facebook to keep up with relatives. I name change here every couple weeks. I am so grateful for the anonymity. I
name change ofteI work in a helping profession that attracts trolls. I’ve gone off all social media expect a locked down Facebook to keep up with relatives. I am so grateful for the anonymity. I am not mean here but I say things I would only say to very trusted friends.

As Oscar Wilde said....

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."

A resounding YES!!

I've got a thread running at the moment with such unpleasantness by a small group of posters that I feel genuinely bullied at this point. I've reported it. Nothings been done.

Face to face these people wouldn't have as much to say to me, I imagine. Funny that.

Yes! This.

Of course you don’t speak to people the same, but that’s kind of the beauty of it. You get the truth which you perhaps wouldn’t IRL. The other day an OP posted about receiving anonymous messages, the thread derailed a bit, because it turned out she didn’t know where her ex-lived when he was looking after their baby. I was genuinely astonished at her situation as were others. I wouldn’t say to a friend’s face ‘WTF? You don’t know where your 1 year old lives when she’s not with you? That’s bonkers. I wouldn’t stand for that in a million years!’ But lots of people said this to the OP and it must have given her food for thought. With her friends, they probably just nod along and agree, THEN go home and say she’s bonkers.

You can report threads and posts for lots of reasons, not just the boring sad trollies .

I probably would…I can be quite sarcastic.

@TraitorsGate
Reporting posts doesn't do you any good. Even when you state you're feeling bullied, and other posters also recognise you've been unfairly targeted etc. in my experience MN allows a lot of that shit to stand.

Nope. I only post what I'd say in RL.

I wouldn't post on Mumsnet at all if it wasn't anonymous daft question .

Me too!

If I had to give my real name to post on MN I wouldn't, as I don't think the site secure enough to take that risk.

I try not to be a keyboard warrior.

There are things I'd talk about on here I wouldn't talk about in real life .

I post what I would say, but I was not raised in the UK or live there now. I enjoyed my time in England, but it can be a minefield until you learn the codes. People seemed to rarely say what they meant. It can be exhausting.

Sarcasm is normal in my family and friend circle. And people speak their mind. It¨s easier in many ways.

In some ways I think it's a good thing, often we need the brutal truth and everyone is to polite to tell is

I write carefully not to upset on here but I don't think I'm so neutral in real life!

True for me.

I wonder if people would at least try to avoid looking so stupid. Read the OP properly and not just repeat what loads of people have already said.

I would never post anything anywhere with my real name, it's not good to be found by Google

People see the internet as lord of the flies especially forums and message boards, you see true character emerging and the real thoughts and feelings people have but can't say publicly. In fairness though some of the 'harsh' or non pc things stated on here and online are things many of us do think and have some element of truth in it whether we like it or not.

For example people saying parents who had multiple kids and cannot afford them shouldn't moan and are to blame are right in my view. Unless there is a backstory then having 5 kids when you are skint and then expecting the state and others to bail you out is just bonkers in my view. And I know enough people who have done this, had nothing to their name and had multiple kids and then expected others to fund them. It annoys me how even on mn this is a taboo view and so many people defend it but then it's fine to criticise other groups...

I often think this is done by trolls to annoy the op, so they go and twist/fabricate the narrative laid out on the op and the fabrication is usually inflammatory and makes the op seem bad.

So for example ''I knew this woman for 2 years and we were good friends and she wouldn't give me back my money'' is clearly stated on op but then several posters will change it to ''so you give somebody you just met 300 quid?''

This isn't just England, it's everywhere. Human behaviour is pretty much the same regardless of cultures, nationality and so on.