To ask if there are certain “red flag” AIBU topics which you avoid?

[Thepeopleversuswork]

I know, without having to open them, that I will be bored or irritated by threads about:

• Parking (why do people find this interesting?)
• Anything involving a diagram
• Anything describing someone in the thread title as a narcissist
• Anything about Brexit
• Any thread in which someone describes themselves as “fuming” (or fumming)
• Weddings or hen nights. Discussion about the etiquette of having children at weddings makes me want to put myself in front of a firing squad
• Most of the trans related threads (though I think there are some important discussions)

I normally open them anyway 🤣. Anyone else?

Anything that's over-the-top funny. I like a humorous thread but not those which are about bizarre situations or behaviour.

Not so much a particular topic (though it tends to be about neighbours or a shining example of a bloke not to procreate with) but sometimes even the most interesting topic or thread title disappoints with a stream of consciousness style narrative in a block of text with sporadic use of commas and zero concept of the art and of summarising. Eg "Then he did that so I turned around and said then he said........" A bit like a crapper version of Ulysses by Joyce for any fellow literature grads who were forced to read it.

My brain can only read the first few words and I have cognitive overload and the onset of a migraine so have to abandon the post.

I avoid the ‘what’s your unpopular opinion’ threads. They’re like a dog whistle for closet racists, the incels on here pretending to be women and women struggling with internalised misogyny.

All the ones you mentioned OP.

& the cyclist vs motorist or vice versa. Boring and pointless, a load of arguing in circles

Here's a few just off the top of my head.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4952766-americans-are-lazy-cooks?page=1

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4901138-wait-what-americans-dont-put-butter-in-their-sandwiches?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4619459-american-food?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4765077-how-do-americans-do-holidays?

These may all be by the same person trolling, as they all start out with something along the lines of "please help me to understand XYZ about Americans", which is just a solicitation for bashing and stereotypes.

I have a horrible fascination with the legal threads, simply to see how many batshit posts it will attract and just how batshit posters are prepared to be. Plus it annoys me how many people seem to think that claiming damages for negligence is somehow immoral, and I feel bound to test them a bit by asking whether they would seriously not claim if someone caused them life changing injuries through sheer negligence - strangely they never seem able to answer.

Anything trans, women’s spaces or “women’s rights” which on MN is just code for men bashing with complete tunnel vision, lacks any discussion and is oh so tedious.Seems to infiltrate a lot of threads so it’s slim pickings as to what I do read now.

VAT on private schools

"Shaking with rage" threads are great, especially when it turns out that if anything the other people involved should be furious with OP.

Competitive cleanliness threads. The ones that start off with someone asking how often other people wash sheet/towels, clean their floors etc - you inevitably reach peak MN when someone claims to be doing it every hour and announces that anyone not doing the same is "vile" and disgusting.

God yes. Or the bizarre threads where people talk about “outdoor” vs “indoor” clothes and hyperventilate when someone sits on their bed with “outdoor clothes” on.

Dog threads

I actively avoid trans threads (not easy as the anti-trans crew have an amazing ability to drag their pet soapbox into literally anything). I'm strongly pro-LGBT rights and have many dear trans friends; firstly it actually hurts to see how prejudiced people are against them, secondly my time is better spent doing actual work in the real world that has a real impact to fight for LGBT rights, not having internet bunfights.

Less deeply I avoid the parking threads (boring) and the "how do people afford X or Y" threads (they have more money than you, I'm not sure how complicated that is to understand).

I get very frustrated by the threads with some sort of interpersonal dilemma that can be easily resolved by five minutes of clear communication and yet the OP refuses to do it.

Anything that has “!!!!???” in the title.

Trans subjects - (though in real life I would love to deal with (frighten / intimidate) any man in a womans space.
(yesterday, me comfortably naked in a continental sauna - Vs man in swimwear getting angrier and angrier 😂)

I think I might start to avoid the botox, wegovy etc threads because you get shouted down if you dare suggest that it might be more healthy to learn to love your body as it is, and maybe do some exercise. MN is the only place I've seen comsmetic surgery talked about as a feminist cause.

Actually the same is true for any thread that touches on obesity. I rage every time I see someone post that you can't out-run a bad diet.

By contrast the competitive cleanliness threads are the kind of batshit I come here for.

Any thread beginning with the words ‘am I the ONLY one who…’

The OP and the posters who pat themselves on the back for being so ‘different’ to everyone else is so embarrassing.

The telly addicts ones - new series starting and the OP just cut and pastes all the gumpf from the Radio Times (other listings are available!) without a 'personal' opinion
Then they @ about 400 people so they can watch it as it is being broadcast and write their inciteful thoughts as it is playing

Well that's ridiculous! One of my besties is an American.

Oh this makes sense now. I’d interpreted it as PP only being interested in posts about illegal activity 😂

I have loads of American friends and family. 😁

I use a different site for TV stuff now as those threads are so annoying.

I avoid:

anything about babies
anything about schools or teachers
anything about Autism or ADHD
anything about gender
anything about ‘men’ vs ‘women’
political clickbait

Threads where you can just tell by the title that the OP is just itching to broadcast how superior they are in some way.

Thread titles where you can immediately tell the poster has no idea how privileged/wealthy they are compared to most other people.

And, yes it’s probably snobby, but thread titles that are littered with misspellings, bad grammar etc. You just know the OPs post is going to be one massive paragraph with hardly any full stops and be barely comprehensible.

Any thread that's not AIBU

Anything with 'high earners' in the title. It usually turns out they mean anything over £40k or something, and everyone is talking at cross purposes and projecting.

Anything like - why do 'x nation' hate the British? Again, just stupid nonsense.

Anything with 'SAHM' in the title as it brings the most bitter working mums out in full force.

Anything about trans.

Anything about not being able to stand at school gates or some such nonsense

Anything about housework - who cares?

I've come to the conclusion that it must be a secret mumsnet rule that people's names in thread titles must be spelt incorrectly.