Mumsnet behaviour-is it a police state?

[talktalk]

Hello, I've been lurking on Mumsnet for some time now but finally decided to post having been horrified at the reception that some people have received.

I always assumed that, within reason, mumsnet would be a place for parents/carers to come and, mostly anonymously, discuss their concerns. Over the last few weeks I have seen some ghastly behaviour from mns against innocent posts.
Are some of you out there assuming the mantle of "mumsnet police" and if so should you not announce that fact?

Why are people so aggressive? I've researched some of the more aggressive posters and it seems that there is a pattern to their behaviour.
If you disagree with a post or challenge its viewpoint perhaps you should just make it known and move on-berating people for their view or concern seems wrong to me.

There are lovely people on mumsnet and its such a shame that there are others who seem to get too busy and bully people into submission when they don't agree with them

that I missed all this.

Did we find out who "bovverboots" was? What a very angry little person she is.

That'll teach me to go to bed early on a Saturday

there is a bit o bile on here and no mistake..

I don't think it does much for your argument referring to the mn policy, making personal attacks and changing your name all in the same post

agreeing with someone hardly a clique do make

I am in a clique. I am a Coddette

I wish I wish I wish there was a search facility for say "posts made after 1pm" maybe refining the search using "by custardo"
It would save me much time searching out the great moments of Mumsnet

1pm??? Doh. 1am.

I find the clique thing quite funny at times though when it is the online equivalent of

a shop assistant saying to me and a random other person areyoutogether*? And you jump apart in horror!!!

I said it once, I'll say it again: Custardo is the Irvine Welsh of Mumsnet.

some people spend way too much time on MN.

Further advice for surviving on MN: have an excellent sense of humour & a sense of perspective. After all, you can just switch off & none of exist any longer.

Am intrigued about the apparent stigma of being middle class. I think we need a seperate thread on this.

ok ok im over the whole reporting me thing but just had to check what on earth was still being posted here as i thought it had all blown away.

im not even gonna go there, about the clique thing as i havent been here long enough to know who not to upset () (know enough not to piss custardo off though![scared smiley])

BUT i do want to take exception to something BOVVERWIMP said

" And it being St George with its connotations of intolerance seems to suit you. "

Im english and very proud to be so and that comment has made me quite annoyed (well as annoyed as i will get over a bloody post on a pc screen)
its people and opinions like yours that mean that we cannot celebrate footbal wins, ST George's day, or even remembrance sunday properly for fear of being classified a racist.

to use your own stereotyping to understand peoples names are we to assume you are a 6ft, bald, beer bellied thug wearing turned up jeasn and Doc Martins?

sorry as i know thats a bit off point at the mo but it justr really bugged me.

Oh sweet jesus, I wish I hadn't looked.

Blimey, is this still going on? Everyone on this thread seems to have taken PCP or something

Oh i so wish it was true that if you have had a good education that means you get a better paid job and more money.

I've always had the theory that in the past, the reason graduates got better jobs than anyone else, was because on the whole they were middle class. They would have got those jobs anyway. And I'm sure I remember stumbling across statistics which demonstrated that graduates from working class backgrounds didn't earn as much as those from middle class backgrounds. And now that 30% are going to university, the disparity in wages between those with a "good" education (or at least qualifications) and those without, is much less, hence the old joke about what d'you say to a newly qualified arts graduate? - "a burger and a large fries please".

Bit of a tangent, I know, but I thought it might lighten the mood.

Mumsnet is great but at the end of the day most of us are virtual srangers it is hard not to ger wound up by others, but surely everyone has a right to their opinion no matter how much we dont like it.

Mnet needs newbies otherwise it wil become a stale stagnant place full of people who are likeminded with no diversity, really who wants that. Its great that there are all kinds of people on here!

Shall we all play nicely! YEAH THATS GONNA HAPPEN

As a diversionary tactic -

try searching for "fuckwit" on google.

St George has started another thread which suggests she's having a very hard time IRL. Might be an idea to lay off her.

to all these namechangers who post offensive comments or try to give their POV

do you do this in rl
so you dont offend no-one

purleaase change ya names back
as this is the internet
not some point-scoring exercise trying to keep friendly with the other mnetters.

God burst old Reilly!

how can you all be ar*sed?

Sorry to butt in, been reading this thread, but not really able to get involved (I'll just stand here with some kleenex, a bucket of water, some rescue remedy and a plate of orange slices for half time)
Sansouci - yes, do start a thread on the middle-class thing. I fit 6 or 7 of Custardo's criteria, but don't really I have a class! But then if my father and his family were working class and my mother and her family were upper class, does that make me middle class?? Shit, and I had pony-riding lessons when I was little...

Goddammit, I knew I shouldn't have gone out to B&Q this afternoon

oh please give me the highlights .. this thread looks good fun .. but I can't be bothered going through it ..

ha! at middle classes being pinkos. who are the tories then?

caligula - it is actually broadly true that better education= better pay (with a few exceptions for skilled manual workers like plumbers). there might be a lot of recent grads working in McD's, but there ain't many people over the age of 22 are there?

I wanna play

key elements .. PLEASE

do Twiglets' have feet

ok, Twigs hun, be careful with that stamping, bits might break off and prevent blossom!
To summarise:
Self-confessed lurker dips her toes in MN waters by declaring that she has been horrified by some of the ghastly behaviour from MN over innocent posters. And suggesting that MN is becoming a Police State.
We then travelled through virtual bullying, the definition of cliques, a quick diversion into style, then detour into another controversial thread about toddler erections. Add a few miles of suspicison, paranoi and a poor O.P. of another controversial thread being upset as people thought she was a troll. Then a name changer arrives to give her opinion and I quote: ''I have the distinct feeling there are some middle class mummies on here who think they are smarter than they are who get their only validation from being pious and exclusive on this site, and who couldn't be risque and interesting if they tried. ''
Then a definition of middle classes, which just about brings us up to here.
And I have deliberatly not mentioned names, or taken sides, or asked to share anyone's popcorn However, any assistance in removing these troublesome splinters from my bottom after a prolonged period of fence-sitting would be appreciated.
HTH.