Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Site stuff

Join our Innovation Panel to try new features early and help make Mumsnet better.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

“Racism” towards the Irish on here

581 replies

Giantbanger · 30/10/2018 10:09

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.)

OP posts:
Original poster
Giantbanger · 04/11/2018 11:33

My post was reinstated this morning because the mod read the report wrong but the whole thread has gone now, because it wasn’t helping anyone.

OP posts:
IStandWithPosie · 04/11/2018 11:57

I wonder who they have dealing with reports this weekend? Lots of mistakes being made.

Original poster
Giantbanger · 04/11/2018 11:58

I don't know who it was last night who deleted me, because I wasn't informed, but Lou reinstated it this morning.

OP posts:
Raydan · 04/11/2018 15:11

I'm a bit of a newbie to MN but this is all a lot more unpleasant than I expected....

  • I don't understand the motivations of some the posters going on and on about BTP rather than addressing the wider issues of your thread Posie. It feels like deflection.
  • Why MN haven't responded to that thread. A large number of ppl have agreed with the OP.
  • Why ppl would be so petty as to report posts in what I understand to be a malicious way

Banger I think you are right to report all of this to the Equality Commission. I know I said it myself about Ireland not being a meaningful marketable demographic to MN but it's also not Reddit and issues are not being policed equally.

plaidlife · 04/11/2018 15:45

Since reading this thread I have been trying to keep a tally of the number of offensive or hurtful things said about different groups of people on mumsnet and have come to the conclusion that the USA contingent is the group that is treated the worst. With Ireland next mostly in relation to Brexit and then Scotland.
Names from out with England seem to raise the most comments, Saylor/Sailor is a fairly normal name in the US and Fraser really isn't an odd name to a Scot. I think it is about the bubbles people live in.

selfidentifyinggiraffe · 05/11/2018 10:02

I had a thread which has been deleted for "not being in the spirit of the site"

I actually missed most responses as I went to bed and not sure if I was thought to be racist for posting it or posters posted and it ran too close to the edges which I hadn't really considered but would like to know

I may have phrased it badly- I was having a discussion with a friend who isn't English... about English language , and we were having a giggle that she asked where some phrases come from and I said don't worry, most English people probably don't know either😅... I said to her in our discussion I'd find out where some examples came from. It was what I thought a fairly interesting chat about English language 😳🙈

Some of the phrases it's mumsnet that have educated me why not to use them as I know people who use them and I know what they mean in casual speech and that they wouldn't have used it if they knew the origin, like myself I grew up hearing older family members use them and absorbed what they were saying but without knowing how the saying had developed

It's only mumsnet that has educated me on the horrible origins so that I know it's offensive and can avoid them

WitchesHatRim · 05/11/2018 10:04

I had a thread which has been deleted for "not being in the spirit of the site

Yes because it was deliberetly goady. Basically calling the English thick stupid and asking for racist sayings.

Original poster
Giantbanger · 05/11/2018 10:09

Your thread was give me examples of horrible racist phrases and you don't know what was wrong with it? Really?

OP posts:
selfidentifyinggiraffe · 05/11/2018 10:23

Ah right ok... nope wasn't trying to be goady... obviously I hadn't translated to mumsnet well enough how the conversation evolved 🙄

selfidentifyinggiraffe · 05/11/2018 10:27

And no it wasn't quite give me examples of horrible racist phrases

It was give me examples of which phrases are offensive so I can remember and explain how our language has developed to a point someone uses a phrase knowing what it means but not why we ever said that for it in the first place... and then that why we getting rid of them

I'm fairly educated, not over not under - away from mumsnet I certainly am not unique in not realising how some of them started in my age group

SmiledWithTheRisingSun · 05/11/2018 10:40

Why would Irish literature NOT count as such?? Hmm

MNHQ
MichaelMumsnet · 05/11/2018 13:59

Hi all and thanks for the feedback, we appreciate it.

As it's become clear that having this particular phrase in the guidelines was upsetting a fair few of you, we've updated the Talk guidelines to say,

'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 awful.'

Thanks,
MNHQ

Original poster
Giantbanger · 05/11/2018 14:01

Thank you @Michaelmumsnet. That gesture is very much appreciated.

OP posts:
JaneJeffer · 05/11/2018 14:04

Thanks Michael Thanks

IStandWithPosie · 05/11/2018 14:12

Another thank you here. This actually means something. This is a positive step towards tackling the problem of anti Irish sentiment on MN. Thank you for setting the example and listening to us.

JaneJeffer · 05/11/2018 14:16

I'm so relieved I can just go back to chatting about Emmerdale now!

Thanks Giant and IStand for your efforts Shamrock

Noviceoftheweek · 05/11/2018 14:18

Utterly ludicrous. It’s clear that many of those who complained have far too much time on their hands.

ny20005 · 05/11/2018 14:19

Thanks Michael 😊

Raydan · 05/11/2018 14:22

Fantastic! Thank you @Michaelmumsnet Smile

Raydan · 05/11/2018 14:23

Well done Banger and Posie

Swanhild · 05/11/2018 14:31

Thanks, Michael. Good work banger, Posie and others.

IStandWithPosie · 05/11/2018 15:26

It was a group effort, thanks to everyone who supported it and to everyone who took the time to listen and understand.

MarDhea · 05/11/2018 15:52

Thank you MichaelMumsnet and MNHQ. Thanks

CraicMammy · 05/11/2018 15:58

Another thank you from me.

Looking forward to hearing about mumsnet’s plans to be more sensitive to anti-Irish threads and comments. I’m hoping not to see a repeat of goady-thread-about-Irish-writers-gate again!

☘️

WitchesHatRim · 05/11/2018 16:12

Looking forward to hearing about mumsnet’s plans to be more sensitive to anti-Irish threads and comments. I’m hoping not to see a repeat of goady-thread-about-Irish-writers-gate again!

Or goady anything tbh.

There have been two goading the English threads today. All unnecessary