Racist Threads

[PhilippaGeorgiou]

Wasn't sure where to post this, but I thought AIBU would be ok. I am not running this as a poll, because I don't care about anyones opinions on the matter. And if anyone wants to respond with more racism, don't bother because I won't be engaging for even a second.

Right at the moment this site is not being overrun by racists because MNHQ has determined that there are no racists on the site and it's abuse to tell anyone they are a racist (even when they are). However, there are multiple threads expressing racism every single day, all rehearsing the same old misinformation and bogus narratives. Not one of those posters want to engage - they become abusive and offensive if anyone produces remotely evidenced facts. Their "facts" are the only truthful facts. Everyone else is a "woman hating woke leftist". Which is apparently not abus, according to MNHQ. MNHQ have made is abundantly clear that they will not moderate misinformation, and are blithely happy to allow most abuse to stand.

Here's the thing - there's pretty much nobody on those threads that is genuinely interested in having a discussion or debating information. There is nobody jumping on those threads saying that they don't really understand the different views and positions and would like to know more. Unsurprising, anyone who actually wants to explore the issue, the absolute last place to look to do that would be yet another toxic thread here. Probably the only good thing is that it really is highly unlikely anyone with a real curiousity about the subject would look to form opinions based on the toxic formula of MN.

The only thing that these threads are good for is clicks and ££££'s in the bank for Justine and the site.

So anti-racists - I suggest that we all stop answering these threads altogether. I know it is hard to see the racism stand (although apparently not for the owners of the site or the moderators) unchallenged, but every single challange does nothing but feed the flames and earn money for MN. You all know that the people who are not racists will spend 20% of their posts posting misinformation and 80% posting goady barbs and personal insults, just to keep the threads going. It will be incredibly boring for them if they only have each other to talk to. The threads will die without oxygen. And MN makes no money out of clicks that haven't happened. It's a win all around.

And if you want to do something proactive, instead of engaging with people who aren't going to listen, why not raise your concerns about the racism with the advertisers? They are being associated with it by their presence, and are clearly far more likely to influence the owners of the site than the people posting on it.

Oh no @MrsBennetsPoorNerves - I would be very sad not to see your comments on threads. They’re always so wise, astute and pithy. I’ve learned lots from you on the threads about trans.
The last few days have been pretty brutal and sad with such ignorance shown. I was so pleased to see your comments.

i don’t know ….. I agree but at the same time I can’t bear to let these idiots just think they’re winning every argument. X

Yes and my ds used to like dipping his chips into his Oreo milkshake when we stopped at Burger King at the motorway services.

Sounds about the same sort of appealing

My fellow cheese sconist 🧀 I felt a bit lonely

Ha ha same here! Mine did eventually go back out to lie on the wet grass when the sun came out. It was actually really warm and he looked very content!

I love a cheese scone spread with thick salty butter.

Loving the humour thrown in for good measure 😁😍

Ooh yes - thick enough to cause teeth marks!

There’s probably a Michelin starred restaurant somewhere serving scones with Stilton for a starter.

Main dish; croissants bolognaise

Now you are just being wilfully offensive.

Reported!

Dear @HangryLikeTheHulk there’s little point in engaging with this poster - they seem to think they’re an expert on anything and everything from Tibetan history to history of Britain - even though they’re American and have disturbing ideas on racial purity and now, seemingly, climate change. I would ignore x

I always chuckle when I read that "we are overcrowded". From my house, I only have to go round the corner and across the road and I can walk for 6 miles before I come to another road, passing precisely one house one on the way. I can see 10 miles or so of unspoilt countryside from my living room window, 19 miles if I go upstairs. And this is in the SE, only an hour from London on the train.

I concede the UK is more densely populated than many of our European neighbours, and that cities are very different, but there's still a huge amount of uninhabited land in the UK.

Place marking to read tomorrow. I have largely stayed away from Mumsnet for weeks (for obvious reasons!) but I am interested in the outcome of this thread.

I think we should have a list of verified facts that we can post when we see a a racist, blame the immigrants for everything post so that for every hate raising post you get 10 sets of facts, even if it's the same bloody sticky.

Engaging with the posters emboldens them.
Ignoring them means their bullshit goes unchallenged.
They don't engage in reasonable debate, every comment is made with intention of making you appear to be in the wrong so that they can polish their galore and be in the right, they like the right, the further away from left the better.

I would like a fact sheet that can be posted next to every lie. No debate, no engaging, just here are verified facts around areas of concern. That way lurkers, people who are just starting to look for information might stand a chance of being informed.

Although, and I agree, we are relatively densely populated compared to some, our house building has been woeful these last few decades, it’s interesting to look into who exactly owns vast swathes of this counties land, much like who owns our media, utilities and also our politicians.

Answer: it’s not exactly clear. .

Especially the controversy around cheese scones!

Also this book is very good

Yes I agree @HangryLikeTheHulk and @StandFirm - MN is being targeted and it’s good to shows their voices aren’t the only ones. It feels like there’s a lot of men on here too.

If they’re seeking asylum and fleeing persecution etc under the Taliban and are coming to the country through legal channels and are granted permission to remain here and bring their wife and children here should they have them, then of course I understand that (I’ll ignore the possible patronising tone of your question for the sake of genuine debate). Do you think that there is a large number of men who have been raised in misogynistic societies who have grown up hating having to treat women badly or who have come to realise how iniquitously the womenfolk are treated and want to leave their country and family behind to escape the woman-hating tyrannies?

Is it your belief that every man who comes illegally to this country is actually a married asylum seeker escaping oppressive regimes hoping to being his children here for a better life? There is a system in place (regardless of how utterly inefficient it may be) to claim asylum in the UK, why are they not utilising that system?

If someone has come here claiming asylum, do you think it right that they should return home temporarily to see their family?

This is hardly expert level stuff.

There is a system in place (regardless of how utterly inefficient it may be) to claim asylum in the UK, why are they not utilising that system?

What system do you mean?

There is no way of applying for asylum until you are actually on UK soil.

It turns out that JollyUmberDeer was a previously banned poster. Now banned again.

Who does or doesn’t take in refugees is not the point of my post. I was responding to an earlier post in which someone said they doubted everyone crossing the Channel is an asylum seeker and they were asked why they held this view.

My post was in answer to that.

In fact, we know that not all are asylum seekers because not all applications once processed are accepted.

The Meghan threads have to be driven by racism. How can you be so obsessed with a stranger who hasn't done anything criminal? It's insane.

I personally fear for the country due to the polarisation on both sides of the debate. Politics has become a series of echo chambers. No one will listen to anyone who has a different opinion. Because of this we fall deeper in to the mire with people bogging the debate down with anecdotes.

Are you suggesting that it would be good, or even ok, if every bit of the country was urbanised and covered in homes?

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything like that before. Where would farmers grow food? What about watersheds, and where would wildlife and plant species live? What about wildlife corridors? What would you do with waste?

You would destroy every ecosystem in the country with that kind of building and density. Maybe you only care about climate change, and not conservation, but that wouldn't be good for the climate either.