Mumsnet is like having a wicked stepmother and a smug supermum next door..

[biddyofsuburbia]

Anyone read Libby Purves column in The Times yesterday? Less than complimentary about us mumsnetters! And she's been lurking recently as we've been quoted! Apparently we occasionally scare her! Here are some quotes:

'Such websites have practical uses, providing a useful forum for the minutiae of life in the hard, baffling, wonderful years of practical motherhood. I wish it had been around when I was wrestling with it all'

But also...

'Addressing mumsnet, whether on biscuits or fiscal policy, means only that you are talking to the most keyboard addicted section of the fertile female electorate. Its a niche'

'if you surf around long enough it is like having a wicked stepmother, a bullying Nurse Ratched and a censorious, smug, competitive supermum next door'

Her column is in response to this being dubbed the mumsnet election i.e that we are not representative of female electorate or even those of childbearing age and that focussing on 'people like us' is a mistake for the political parties as it does not address other important issues. Blah blah. I don't normally read her column but any thoughts anyone??? just for you Libby.

I like(d) Libby Purves.

Shame she's jumped on the bandwaggon.(must be a bloody great pantechnicon of a bandwaggon by now....)

They're getting a bit yawny now aren't they all these oh-so-samey-rentaquote articles?

good idea not linking the article. they don't need us to drive the traffic through a link.

i agree with 'Addressing mumsnet, whether on biscuits or fiscal policy, means only that you are talking to the most keyboard addicted section of the fertile female electorate. Its a niche' however.

At least she writes much better than the Daily Mail types.

But I don't agree about the niche thing: we might all be "keyboard addicted" but we are from too wide a cross-section of society for it to be a niche. MN isn't the haven for the Boden-wearing brigade that everyone makes it out to be, or at least they keep their overpriced floral prints well hidden most of the time.

foxytocin I didn't do a link because I'm not keyboard addicted enough and don't know how I agree, no need to drive through extra traffic to their site

I agree. I think it shows she/they haven't read that many threads, rather, they've looked at the Boden ads, read a few of the other articles written about MN and cobbled something together.

They confuse being able to spell and write in proper sentences with having loads of money for some reason.

I came here after belonging to various other mothering forums (not in the UK) and the first thing I noticed was actually that MNetters post about real problems, often have financial troubles, etc. It was a stark contrast to a place where the concept of 'real trouble' was - well, was like the things I post about: should I let my pfb watch TV or should she be engaged in grinding wholemeal flour for low-sugar fruit bread; help, I have booked a 5star hotel and can't decide whether it would be better to stay in a friend's huge posh house in the most expensive part of the country; my environmentally sourced cloth nappies have discontinued my favourite indigenous art pattern.

So, yeah, not really understanding the 'oh so privileged' meme going on.

I do like the 'wicked stepmother and smug supermum' quote thought .

I thought the article was fair, balanced, sensible and actually fairly supportive.

i was thinking that we are niche more along the lines of coming here because we are attracted to straight talking people who prefer information over platitudes, hearsay, and back patting. Which I can overdose on from other message boards and in real life.

ok. scratch the back patting. I like a little lot of that.

In real life, most of what the mums around me want to talk about make me glaze over and I see the same look in their eyes when I speak to them.

Libby and the other journos are just miffed that they have to share the limelight with keyboard addicted wimmen.

didn't read it, but i am getting more and more aware that the amount of "watching" of mn is getting daft.

mn can be a fantastically supportive site. i need to discuss a weighty issue with someone, and i know mn could help me hugely, but i am afraid due to the fact the press may pick up on it and my world will come crashing down around me....

that makes me sad, and a bit angry.

i think the wicked stepmum / smug supermummy quote is hilarious and take it as a back handed compliment.

I still won't waste my time finding the link as I have a toddler to dress and and an oven to clean.

scratch that. Will leave it to my nanny and housekeeper.

I wonder if the more traditional media are miffed because MN and other online forums (fora?) are largely outside their control and influence?

Is it that? Or is that they're uncomfortable with women (other than journos) having opinions? Sorry, ABetaDad but I'm sure you know what I mean.

Whichever it is, I can't help feeling there are other, more serious, matters they could focus on - you know, little things like education; child poverty; abuse; etc.

FWIW, I like Libby Purves and I'm disappointed that she's felt it necessary to comment on MN at all.

Here is the Link

First time I've tried this so apologies if it doesn't work

I agree with Foxy- IRL I go into a semi-coma when people start talking to me about babies.

And I find myself thinking "chuh, you wouldn't get away with that drivel on MN"

I think mainstream journalists do feel threatened by blogs/forums. Newspaper sales are falling. I dont think pay walls will work except for specialist titles.

The political blogs and forums I on are very vibrant. Indeed, in my view, it is not just an MN Election but a blogosphere election.

I guess we on MN comment on what newspapers say so I supose we have to accept they will comment on what MN has to say. It works both ways.

FWIW I don't think she's really being anti mn (hasn't she got some books advertised on this site?) but it is more attention grabbing to throw in a few lines about how we are a bunch of nutters... whilst actually jumping on the 'mumsnet election' bandwagon. perhaps she was concerned that we mners are not reading her column so wanted to draw us in with a few insults or maybe she thinks we are so far up our own behinds we wouldn't read the Times anyway?

that is a part of it ABetaDad. Newspapers, online or print does not allow for vibrant and informative discussion. The exchange of information is very much one way and the more we have learnt by using blogs and forums, the more we realise how limited newspapers are.

It seems to me that any woman journalist has to write an article about MN these days. It's like an O'level set text. It's like a Brownie Badge.

You watch, in 20 years time, an essay on Mumsnet will be on the GCSE syllabus.

i am so far up my behind I won't read the Times.

no actually I don't have enough time in my day to read any newspaper because any spare time is wasted used up by Mumsnet.

my favourite online newspaper is this one. too commie for most people but sometimes I read stuff on there that weeks later gets mentioned in the main stream press.

it is based in the US so it's bias is there. Anyone know of a similar UK site?

foxytocin - I dont read newspapers either. By the time I have seen Sky and 4 - 5 regular blogs/forums every day I feel that newspapers have little else to say. I do read one or two favourite columists and meaty magazine articles though.

A good example is all the opinion polls coming out. The very best commentary on those is at PoliticalBetting.com.

The analysis there is really expert and instant. Indeed the person who runs the site is usually ahead of the news. I know a lot of journalists and politicians look at it.

I thought what she wrote was fab

ooohh, clearly didn't mean to say that if you don't read the times you are up your behind - I don't often I was just woken v. early this am and had a chance to flick through yesterdays paper. I actually normally find it tricky to keep up with current affairs so will try the links..I do love a physical paper though!

Have to admit though it is all a bit .

The out come of a general election has little to do with a bunch of women on a talk board andI would rather see politicians doing some real work then chatting up a bunch of mumsnetters/netmums and so on.
Get a grip people and give us something real to work with, I don't need to the the prime minster or shadow cabinet making twats of themself over biscuits, I need to know about health care, pensions, immigration, jobs, schools and other grown up stuff

I like Libby Purves and found her book on parenting (20 years old now) v reassuring and bizaarely quite like MN.

BUT, having said that if you hang out on AIBU where a lot of the press stop action is, it is possible to get very anxious about your mothering skills and how your children are developing because things can get very divisive very quickly (bf/ff; WOHM/SAHM; tantrums/ examples of less than ideal parenting) so I think if you only see a very limited snapshot of the site, the quote is about right. It does ignore all the other useful bits of MN where you can find support, help and interesting chats.

Agree with Runawaywife - but I also think that whilst I want to know what each party's stance is on the real issues that effect our country I do think that this 'mumsnet' debate is important because I think that a lot of women feel disenfranchised for a variety of reasons. Anything that gets people interested and actually voting has to be a good thing.

I also think that this forum is great because it is one way that I get a feeling for how policy effects other people, and what drives their political views - by which I mean people whose economic, family, work circumstances are different from my own. It is very difficult in RL, for me at least, to hear all that from the horses mouth as I tend only to meet people who are very similar to myself. Mumsnet has users from all walks of life. Libby's assertation that it is a niche is only true in that it's users are internet savvy - apart from that I think that there are some incredibly different views and circumstances represented here, and that listening to those is actually enlightening.