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Original poster

Anyone know Melinda Messenger?

342 replies

barking · 15/04/2008 23:32

I was recently talking about her on the steiner/waldorf thread and read tonight that she has just split from her husband partly due to the lifestyle change required by steiner schools.
Just wanted to post here, incase anyone knew her and could point her to the thread here

OP posts:
Vulgar · 17/04/2008 09:47

I'm hoping to move to a new location quite soon and there is a Steiner school nearby. I'm quite worried that we will unwittingly move into an area with a strong Steiner ethos which I am wary of as I'm hoping DS will make new friends easily. I know Barking has had a very hard time.

I'm starting to feel quite wary of Steiner now.

sorkycake · 17/04/2008 09:49

The bee I've reported your posts because it occurs to me that you should pay a small ad fee as other MN'ers do when they wish to link to their own sites.

You are not engaging in open debate, rather just "rubbish"ing other posters views because they are not the same as your own. It strikes me that you are abusing MN to boost your own ratings via links within these pages, which is why you post them so often in one thread.

Normal netiquette in this instance where you reiterate what you wish to say or refer back to links in the thread is to say something like

Sorkycake please refer to my earlier post at XXXXXX where you will find the links I gave. It is not ok to continuously post the links, but I suspect you are aware of that.

Janni · 17/04/2008 09:49

Oh Jenk that's so sad. She sounds so miserable and scared. Vulnerable people can get like that if they try to do the whole Steiner thing.

The school my children were at was less fundamentalist about a lot of stuff partly because it had a really wide range of parents, but I saw mothers of toddlers hiding their chidlren's normal dollies because they weren't the Steiner approved ones.

Thebee · 17/04/2008 09:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

captainmummy · 17/04/2008 09:56

FFs - how can anyone read this thread with any continuity when there are SOME MANY BLOODY LINKS??

Can we let it die? He's sooooo boring! Same propaganda ALL the TIME! I think he's done the job of putting everyone off steiner schools/ethos for life.

JamSamBam · 17/04/2008 10:13

its all wads of guff...itell you..wads of guff..

start the revoloution...down with everything..arrgghh...

sorry, got a little carried away there, but it looks like TheBeee has had enough..back to Melinda and her noorks...

northernrefugee39 · 17/04/2008 10:16

capatain I agree.
Someone is reporting him so perhaps he'll go.
He's done a wonderful job though.
Put off so many more people than could ever been imagined.

He does seem to know an awful lot about threads on other forums that have been blocked and deleted, when people have told their true stories about their time at Steiner school.
These forums have been threatened with law suits.
It's a shame they believe the threat really.
At least mumsnet allows free speech.
Mumsnet gets more hits and interest than any other forums too.
My dh says a law suit would "expose the Steiner lies."

northernrefugee39 · 17/04/2008 10:17

JamSambam dollops of muff

Thebee · 17/04/2008 10:30

sorkycake:

"It is not ok to continuously post the links, but I suspect you are aware of that."

No. Can you link to the policy on that?

Thanks.

Bumperlicious · 17/04/2008 10:34

These Steiner threads seem to be a full-time bloody job. The same arguments and links just seem to go round again and again.

northernrefugee39 · 17/04/2008 10:40

Vulgar- really? OOOHHH I hope you're ok
The early thread about living in a Steiner community is scary.

They will try to love bomb you, and friendly fish you....

They will taunt you with their tofu, bribe you with their bulgar,
win you with their weleda nobble you with their gnomey gardens

We don't live right in one, but when we go or meet people it really is like the Midwitch Cuckoos. They stare

Saturn74 · 17/04/2008 10:44

I haven't got the energy to read the whole thread, but are there any posters on here that attended a Steiner school themselves?

And I don't mean ones that have just magically appeared for this thread, I mean established members of the MN community.

That would be far more convincing/interesting/likely to lead to a proper, open debate than listening to the same old waffle.

And Sorky is right - the endless links are just irritating, and serve to put off anyone likely to be objectively interested in this subject.

sorkycake · 17/04/2008 10:45

Who mentioned a policy?

Read posts before you reply. I was referring to netiquette.

I don't know of a single other MN'er who continuously posts the same links in the same threads, although with the immense amount of time on your hands maybe you'll search something out

Anyway I've reported the posts.

Please remember that this is a forum for parents by parents, some parents are expressing their experiences of their childs education. You are not.

I wholeheartedly agree with Captain that you have done more damage than any of the other posters could've by recounting their stories.

We have discussed Steiner schools for our children recently and we were still undecided, but on the basis of what I have read (my husband read this thread last night) we have decided that it is clearly not for us.

Thank you thebee in aiding my decision.

zippitippitoes · 17/04/2008 10:46

what i dont get is if they are so good why do they need defending

dont market forces work

sorkycake · 17/04/2008 10:49

Exactly zippi.

Reading the thread last night Dh's first comments were
"They sound like the Scientologists"

They are so adamant that any criticism by quashed that you begin to suspect that there's more to it iyswim.

zippitippitoes · 17/04/2008 10:51

he protesteth too much methinks

Janni · 17/04/2008 10:52

Sorky, you're right to report him.

He's now had long enough on here, doing a fantastic job of inadvertently alerting prospective Steiner parents.h67

I didn't have the net six years ago. If I'd read this stuff then there's no way my kids would have gone to Steiner.

Original poster
barking · 17/04/2008 10:54

HumphreyCushion, I'm a regular mumsnetter (5 years) had to namechange because I need to protect my location, I am concerned that this TheBee will try and find out where I live such is his devotion to steiner/waldorf/anthroposophy.
I am an ex-steiner parent.
He tracks the internet constantly for any negative press.

OP posts:
Saturn74 · 17/04/2008 10:59

No barking, I know.
I wasn't questioning anyone's identity.
And I've trawled through the past Steiner threads, and been horrified by what some of the children and parents have been through.

I was just saying that I would be wary of any 'new' member that suddenly comes on and says that they went to s Steiner school and it was perfect.

I was interested if there were any actual Steiner pupils that could contribute to the discussion, that was all.

Original poster
barking · 17/04/2008 11:05

Northern, DianaW, and Janni are all former steiner parents.
Zzooey was a pupil.

I am genuinely sorry if other mums are getting pissed off as TheBee also known as Eva52 is a 58 year old bloke who writes websites promoting steiner/waldorf/anthroposophy.

I started this thread as I had read Melinda Messenger was a new convert and her marraige has broken up partly due to becoming involved with steiner schools. Her husband (this happens in many instances) didn't fully embrace the beliefs as much as his wife.

I suspect he didn't have a chance being called Wayne
Many men change their name once they are fully in the cult - the name of a plant, the elements, an animal totem, a sanskrit name, or one of the many constellations - the more spiritual or natural the better.

You really do have to leave your old identity behind.

OP posts:
sorkycake · 17/04/2008 11:27

I don't actually have a problem with the whole occultist argument tbh, as long as everyone is open about it.

Horses for courses and all that.

It's when it's kind of underhand and people go to such extreme lengths to present a picture of how they want the rest of the world to view their chosen cause that I get irked.

Just be honest and either people will love you or they will recoil in horror at the David Icke-ness of it all.

Are you disowned like the Scientology crew does if you leave?

Original poster
barking · 17/04/2008 11:39

Oh yes, your either in or out.
You are gently shunned but in a pitying passive agressive way. We are the lowest of the low, as we embraced the beliefs then we had the gall to question them and consequently reject them. At least with outsiders they can comfort themselves in thinking they aren't spiritually advanced enough to understand and connect with the depth of steiner/waldor/anthroposphy.
I suspect they are also a tad concerned what you will tell the outside world.

OP posts:
Original poster
barking · 17/04/2008 11:40

that should be you're

OP posts:
sorkycake · 17/04/2008 11:42

spiritually advanced

teehee

stripeymama · 17/04/2008 11:57

I'm an ex Steiner pupil, current Steiner parent, and a regular (ish) and I think thebee is bonkers.

But I've said pretty much all I have to say on other threads I think - if you have any specific questions I will try to answer though.