“Racism” towards the Irish on here

[Giantbanger]

Can we please talk about it and can you please get your mods some training.

There was a thread that stood from yesterday. The op was goady and people were reporting the fuck out of it from yesterday.

It went this morning because the op was previously banned for being goady. No surprises there then.

But it contained a post from a member of MNHQ that really bothered me and I would like to discuss.

Add message | Report | Message poster EstherMumsnet (MNHQ) Mon 29-Oct-18 19:43:38
Hello!
Thanks for all the reports on this one. We'd like to leave this up as it's a pretty interesting discussion - one for the colonial/post colonial literature experts perhaps (yes - we know there's an argument over whether Irish literature counts as such!) - so please keep to the spirit of the site when discussing this and make your points politely. Thanks

So if there’s a “racist” thread about the Irish, it is an interesting discussion and the Irish need to be polite when telling racists they are racists.

(And Yes. I know in the dictionary definition Irish isn’t a race. It’s a subset ethnicity of Caucasian but the term is used more broadly in general use than the dictionary definition.)

Alternatively, does someone fancy giving the Equality Commission a call? I would but I’m already on a crusade re M&S’s PornnStar Martini

I really don’t want to have to go to the equality commission. Or twitter.

@Littlegreyauditor I said the same - accountants to the bone!

“It's not our policy to delete swearwords (we're all adults, after all) but we do draw the line at obscenity, racist, ageist, disablist, homophobic or transphobic language, and wording that is truly beyond the pale.”

It is outrageous that the talk guidelines themselves contain derogatory language. I actually LOLd at how clueless it is!

I will be said to leave Mumsnet but

I’ve had a reply this morning to say they are going through all my reports now (have been reporting the fuck out of minimising racist stuff) and now I feel guilty for reporting.

@Giantbanger why are you feeling guilty?

It was the only way to get their attention!

It’s the use of the word “all” in the reply,I got. I wouldn’t have felt,so bad if they had just said “your reports”. It was the “all your reports” it just got me.

This thread has now been in place for 3 days.

MNHQ have had 3 days to deliberate, discuss, decide on whether or not to delete racist and offensive posts.

And they haven’t. In 3 days.

I actually can’t believe I’ve had to type that. 3 days and counting to decide whether or not to remove racism from your boards @MNHQ? There can be no justifiable reason for that other than that you have decided to allow the racism to persist and think so little of us that you can’t be bothered to let us know. Be disgusted in yourselves.

I think we need to move this outside of this thread now. We need a wider audience to witness what MNHQ have chosen to do. And yes, their lack of response is a choice. A choice that tells us all we need to know.

@Giantbanger unless they're paying your rent, pay them no mind.

They should be apologising for the delay in getting back to you. I wouldn't give a shit about that little dig. Shows they're defensive if anything.

You know I'm very suspicious now. I think MN are waiting for someone on here to say something that will give them an excuse to delete the thread and then they won't have to deal with it at all. Meanwhile I'm going elsewhere to try a little experiment!

If you count from Tuesday at 10-ish when it began it’s now over 4 days @IStandWithPosie.

@Giantbanger I'm a pretty hard bitch though. Appreciate that other people can be more sensitive.

@JustineMumsnet Care to weigh in on this? MN is quick enough when it comes to the Feminism boards so I know this can be addressed rapidly if the will is there.

Yes today is the 4th day!

If I was in a demonstrating kind of mood, I would come up with a specifically worded post that I would copy and paste onto every active thread on MN until such time as HQ responds.

I think this is the way to go. We need to put together a post a and C&P with a link to this thread onto every thread in active, repeatedly until HQ engages.

So I reported this thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/a3411981-irish-mumsnetters-is-this-term-one-you-d-use?msgid=82261372#82261372

My report said

Another example of racist attitude. The story referred to is in Ireland. wean / wain is a term in general use here and it's so so rude to say it bothers and distracts from the story.

Reported post (direct link)

TheGirlOnTheLanding (Fri 02-Nov-18 08:56:54):

The thing is, it's set in Co. Kerry - it would make more sense if it was in Ulster. It's a shame because I'm enjoying the book, but it jumps out and bothers me every time and distracts me from the story!

The reply is

Thanks for your report. We do think, from reading the thread that the OP is referring to the term being used in Co. Kerry as inaccurate, rather than intended as any kind of slur towards a dialect.

Best wishes,
MNHQ

So I can get replies that tell me I’m wrong and they don’t get it but the very very many reports I’ve made from and about this thread, begging for an answer, I get no reply.

Sorry, Replied with 3 exactly the same mini-posts there. It was a bad thing gone wrong on my computer.
I promise 😚
But they all have same theme. Mods could not give a fuck about the racism going on here, and their constant fudging and non-response says it all.

Will be sad to leave the site as it has given me a lot of humour and support over the 2 years I've been here, with some fantastic posters.
But yeah. Your number is up now Mods. You have been called out on it so many times.
So step up to the plate, or step the fuck away.

@JustineMumsnet as @Weezol said, not all issues are being treated equally here and that's a real rub. At the least I hope you're all questioning yourselves right now having had the derogatory language in your talk guidelines pointed out. I'm sure you are all trying to do your best moderating a wide variety of issues but I think you're failing to address some very valid concerns here.

Women are adult biologically female humans. Women's rights should not be catastrophically eroded because a misgynistic element within a dominant group is redefining 'woman' to reflect a 'feeling.'

Does that help crystallise matters about how some issues are important and others aren't, MNHQ? I am also from way beyond the pale, incidentally.

Thank you BTW giantbadger for addressing the use of “BTP”. I reported that phrase many times over the years until one day HQ said they would definitely not be deleting it, it wasn’t offensive. I accepted their decision, although will never agree with it. But you’re right, it isn’t acceptable. It has to go from the talk guidelines.

Bump☘️

To be honest, I don’t see an issue with the ‘wean’ discussion, though I definitely did with the Irish authors one, and also with other threads.

But the lack of engagement from MN is poor and disappointing. Unfortunately, it is a wider issue as there is still an undercurrent in England that Irish people are poor, backward, stupid and unimportant so that threads with that assumption don’t jar as racist as that is what so many think.

I totally get that I might have over reacted but I’m peeved.

I'm Irish and I don't see the problem with the wean discussion either? I'm in the West and have never once heard anyone use the phrase. Personally I don't think you are doing your cause any good by referring to threads like that as racist. It's clear what she was saying, it bothers her as it doesn't seem authentic as she didn't think is was a term used in Co Kerry.