People who don't read the WHOLE thread before commenting

[ExpatInSlavikLand]

Unless you're completely new to commenting on MN and therefore aren't aware you can:

a) see how many pages of comments have already been made, and therefore check them before commenting, and:

b) click to read all of the OP's responses and updates

Why do you blithely ignore (what are often) reems and reems of comments and relevant responses from the OPs to put your two penneth'orth on a long-passed or clarified original post, usually parroting what multiple others have already written?

We've seen a great example of this yesterday, on the post written by a poor lady in the ME whose husband had clearly not really been in a barber shop for the two hours he'd said he'd be. We're currently on 36 pages of comments on this particular post, and we still have people commenting on the OP's original point, ignoring everything else she's since written (and in many cases being extremely unfair and nasty to her), promoting dozens of other people to kindly leap to her defense and ask these latecomers to read the entire thread before commenting.

What a mess.

Preach sister !

That thread is a bad example as most posters were taking the piss, not understanding the situation further the first 15 pages, it didn’t get to the specifics till then.
It happens to most threads, nothing new…. CANCEL THE CHEQUE…. 🤪

People should at least read all of the OP posts before commenting, as so often threads change dramatically.

Yesterday I read the end of a "should I go to hospital?" thread where a spate of posters barelled in with their response to the OP... followed exactly two minutes later by an 'oops, see you're already in hospital'.

Why can't people wait TWO minutes to read the updates?

I've been here nearly 20yrs and there are so many threads that start out as somethibg as mundane as "AIBU to ask DH to pick up sugar on the way home?" then quickly evolve into something more complex and sensitive.

Ten pages on it turns out that the OP is trying to find a women's shelter for her and the kids as her DH is abusive, but you still have people popping on to tell her that she's BU for expecting her H to pop to the co-op on his way past

MNHQ have made it so easy to read all of the OPs posts so there's just no excuse for such rudeness or self importance.

I read the original post, then if I'm interested and want to comment I read all of the op's posts. I never read every single comment on a long thread, just the op's own post and comments.

It does annoy me when people don't read the op's updates on a massive thread before they comment.

I really feel for the poster on the barber thread too.

And..... thread is derailed...

More irony...

I agree with reading all the OPs posts but don't always read all the comments on a long thread. But I often just don't bother commenting if it's already pages and pages long.

I don't know why some posters seem to treat MN like an obligation, and comment when they "don't have time" to read all the OPs updates. If you don't have time, don't bother with it then, nobody will notice your absence. I agree with the PP who said it's all a bit self important to make a really obvious comment 25 pages into a thread you can't be bothered to at least check for updates on.

I don't read every response but I do read all the OP's responses.

I agree OP and I think posts where they clearly have only read the first post, in a long thread with many op posts, should be deleted once reported and the poster given a warning.

It's rude and often derails a long thread.

I don't know why some posters seem to treat MN like an obligation, and comment when they "don't have time" to read all the OPs updates. If you don't have time, don't bother with it then

Exactly - what on Earth do they think they're contributing? I do think sometimes it's done purely to wind people up.

When this has been discussed before, someone suggested that people who aren't used to traditional discussion forums treat it as comments under a Facebook post, rather than an actual thread of discussion.

i agree you should filter on the OPs posts and read those, as orherwise you don’t have the full picture,
If you expect people to read potentially 100s of posts before ‘being allowed’ to post themselves, then you are cutting out people who are genuinely too busy / not able to read everything but have some valid and helpful input for the OP.

Completely agree with you! Had exactly the same with a post I posted yesterday. People are so quick to jump in and give you a hard time without reading the full thread…I’ll never post again due to this.

To be honest it's very rare for someone to come along hundreds of posts into a thread and offer new insight or helpful advice that's not already been posted.

The trouble is those not reading the thread won't know that because they just barrel in thinking they're the only ones who have possibly thought of that response. Most of the time they've not even read the first page as if they had, they would have realised the response had already been posted.

I usually read all of the OP’s posts, but I never read the other comments bar maybe the first one or two.

Haven't had time to read the thread, so I don't know if anyones mentioned it, but you can just read the OPs posts...

(😆😆)

You either have time to check the OPs posts, and the DATES they were posted, or you don't have time to reply. Simple really.

Any way, I've gotca cheque to cancel, some bollards to install etc etc

I also wish there was the facility for the OP to close threads for comments once they start going round in circles with nothing new to add.

When they start a post with "I don't know if anyone's said this yet" ... there's a way to find out! Even if you can't read you can ctrl+F!

99% of the time it's "have you tried Pregnant & Screwed" and 30 other posts have indeed suggested it.

Or "check if you've got legal advice in your home insurance" or "have you tried putting their number into WhatsApp"

It doesn't really matter if people read the whole thread or dont. People can scroll on if they don't like it.

I doubt the OPs have time to sit and read through multiple pages of comments themselves but you never know they might just notice that one comment/post that you may deem pointless or repetitive.

God yes, at least do a cursory scan of the OPs updates before commenting, otherwise you won’t know all the info.

Classic example on the thread about the sister’s poorly trained dog at the moment - the people still suggesting crates - so condescendingly! - when OP says the sister has refused to use one and the parents won’t have one in the house.

So annoying.

True but it depends on the thread and the topic.Also sometimes it’s useful to see the same advice or recommendation coming up several times as a kind of vote.

This topic has come up soooooo many times over the years. Maybe OP should have read all those threads instead of starting yet another one 😂

I agree OP

Then when they are pulled up on it, you get the "Oh are you the thread police??" and "I am so sorry - I didnt have time to read EVERY post" daft comments.

So you have time to read and respond to people calling you out, but not (at the very least), the OP's comments 🙄

Yes and we all should. People regularly come here having just discovered something distressing, having had a lightbulb moment or having had something niggling over a period of time that they need help and advice with. It's not always clear what is important or what is relevant in terms of context.

In @whatevenarethey situation it was evolving as she posted. She was getting more distressed but some replies continued to be rude and had clearly failed to filter out her responses. It's not that difficult to filter out OPs replies.

It's sad when OPs leave a thread or fail to update when they have come here for support. They find themselves having to constantly repeat or defend their posts. Often through good discussion it is clear there are other underlying and contributory issues the OP hasn't seen as relevant or connected. Yet some will ignore responses and the OPs replies.
It's particularly distressing when it involves DA or concerns about CSA.

The problem is that the people who fill up the threads telling off other posters for not reading the OP's posts become just as tedious. It becomes really difficult to find posts that actually relate to the original topic when it gets so full of virtue signallers competing with each other to slag off other posters.

Omg, just caught up on the husband / barber / anniversary dinner thread and it’s the same bloody poster as the dog crate suggestion who waded in criticising the OP without reading the updates. I assume they’re just a troll tbh.

Sometimes it’s awful though. There can be a really long thread where a little has happened and the first post about barbers or housework is completely irrelevant and posters blunder in and it’s jarring.

There was a one not so long ago where the OP was about the husband not helping with the chores and it turned out he was beating her up and people were telling her days later to tell him he had to take the bins out and not to take no for an answer and he was locking her in cupboards.

It’s not the same as coming on to Style and Beauty and saying ‘I like the red one’ or whatever.

Yes you should at least read all OP’s posts. Sometimes reading everyone else’s posts is actively unhelpful though as threads so often go off in a random direction based on other posters’ assumptions about the situation 😂

Everyone doesn’t have time to read a whole thread! Don’t be ridiculous.