Anti-Dementors : The AD’s

[MinkyGreen]

Anti-Dementirs. These are a long running group of threads on Mumsnet.
I’ve recently been on a Covid thread and felt attacked by a group of posters for stating a consensus science view.
I then looked into who this group are - and they have formed threads called the ‘Anti-Dementors”. Dementors being those who wore masks/followed lockdown rules.
The groups they perceive as ‘dementors’ are dismissed/ridiculed as putting ‘cheese in coffee’, - or sitting in their garden with laptops during lockdown. The fact is that many were vulnerable/protecting the vulnerable.
There us also support/links to publications like ‘Unherd’ and ‘State of Fear’ which are bordering conspiracy theory territory.

While I think the discourse is important - it makes me very uneasy when people form ‘echo chambers’ and ridicule/attack/make snide comments in a group towards those with opposing views.

I look forward to your response!

There is a lot of “I imagine”, “I believe”, “I feel” going on here and not much actual thinking based on facts.

If you didn’t berate others for questioning the rules and following rules to the letter rather than going way overboard, then no one was talking about you, if you didn’t post room and gloom every time someone posted something hopeful, you are not what people meant when they used the word “dementor”.

But your repeated efforts to have the “authorities” censor people here the past few days paints a very shocking picture. The kind of wake-up Cubans had when the government came in and paved over their gardens. Where their friends and neighbors reported them for sharing milk rations with mothers of starving babies.

op please just leave it, it’s not doing you any good to be this obsessed with a thread not going your way over a week later. There is no cabal, there was no coordination. Tagging mumsnet is crazy when you just want to tell tales on people that don’t share your views. Take care of yourself and step away. I’m 15 years on mumsnet I’ve never seen anyone do this.

@CoffeeWithCheese

When people are being fucking unpleasant and ganging up - if I feel I want to report it - then I will thanks. Particularly when it involves morally questionable views around a pandemic where millions have died worldwide. It’s why site stuff exists, it’s why the report button exists.

In terms of hurt feelings and pathetic behaviour - you clearly felt the need get away and have your own little echo chamber huddle where you can poke fun at all those horrid ‘lockdown lovers’. Y’know those middle class cheesy nitwits who spend all day on their laptop. Funny that because I’m wondering how much laptop time was involved in creating threads and threads dissing them all??

And assuming you’ve reported all the horrid threads, and you’ve certainly tagged @HopeMumsnet enough times on here, we should probably assume they’ve done there job as they see fit and allowed them to stand.

So can we assume that we've got official sanction from MN and we're all good, despite the frantic reporting? Does that mean we can draw a line under the topic or can we look forward to further tantrums?

@MinkyGreen I hope you then reported all the ganging up threads on mn overlockdown regarding those seen as 'flaunting the rooolz' 😱😱
You know all the ones like 'I'm really struggling to cope with 2 dc with significant needs, we have no garden and I'd have to drive an hour to get to a place where they can safely get fresh air and exercise' when they were rounded on and accused of being 'superspreaders' 'killing the vulnerable' 'fucking selfish' I'm sure you were the very first to defend the poster and challenge the mob?

Have you reported all the people who ganged up on those of us who questioned lockdown @MinkyGreen or are we fair game? Plenty of the lockdown supporters were bloody horrible people but were allowed to get away with it.

💐Minky

Except I don’t really see all these threads and threads of people yelling ‘fucking selfish’. I DO see a group dismissing the needs of the vulnerable and mocking those who supported NHS guidelines. I see a group descending on the Covid threads and sharing Daily Telegraph, anti science musings whist being pretty nasty to those who disagree. I see a group with members who shared the sort of extreme stuff that got deleted on previous threads, or who got a ban - and are now coming back in a more vanilla form.

You see them because, by your own admission, you sought them out.

And again, at your admission, you didn’t see them at the time. Only now, 3 years later, because you’ve actively looked for them.

Who do you actually think you are to try and police other people's discussions like this?

Basically you see what you want to see. It wouldn't be difficult to find some of the really nasty threads but I doubt you'd bother looking because it doesn't fit with what you want.

@FrostyFifi

And who do you think you are to make sweeping assumptions and to label people ‘lockdown lovers’ with absolutely no thought or consideration as to what your supposed ‘cheese in coffee drinkers’ were going through? To create threads and threads if it, and then get with your gang and mock/ridicule on other threads??

Whether it’s ‘allowed’ or not - I’ll use your beloved ‘freedom of speech’ argument to call it out. It’s shit behaviour.

Some people loved lockdown. They have admitted to it on here (at the time, and since). It isn’t our job to think about all the background circumstances to someone’s post… if they post that they’re living loving working from their garden in lockdown, that’s what is commented on. It wasn’t lies, it was based on actual thins people said.

@MinkyGreen unlike you I didn't go running off to the mods if I saw a post I didn't like . That's what I mean by you trying to police other people's speech. Shame it hasn't worked out for you.

I was called all sorts when I admitted to going to a VE Day street party, no one was bothered by that. I was called thick for buying chocolate. I was told I live in a hovel as I don't have a spare room. To be fair I think it just shows the stupidity of the posters but some people might not.

I see a group descending on the Covid threads and sharing Daily Telegraph, anti science musings whist being pretty nasty to those who disagree

Why are you talking about something which happened three years ago in the present tense?

And who do you think you are to make sweeping assumptions and to label people ‘lockdown lovers’ with absolutely no thought or consideration as to what your supposed ‘cheese in coffee drinkers’ were going through?

Oh FGS, some people on here loved lockdown. THey've admitted it in the last few weeks, some of them, with their 'spending time in the garden with the DC, doing yoga and having time to do chores while WFH.' They were the ones who couldn't understand why people were having a hard time, with their blinkered refusal to realise that not everyone lives in a nice leafy suburb with a huge garden and unlimited WiFi for the kids' lessons. They loved the policing of other people's behaviour and they had no problems with abusing people who didn't follow the narrative, with, in your words, absolutely no thought or consideration as to what your supposed ‘cheese in coffee drinkers’ were going through?

There were people on here at the absolute end of their tethers with trying to educate their children and WFH and looking after parents while trying to follow the rules - some of them on this thread - and a lot of posters couldn't wait to give them a kicking when they came on here asking for help. You don't seem awfully bothered about the 'bullying' in those. Why not?

Well said @MrsDanversGlidesAgain. 'Be kind' only went one way and it looks as though nothing has changed

Thanks. OP's posing as a fearless warrior for truth and kindness against the 'bullying,' and the twisting of what actually happened and what the AD threads were about is getting on my wick, frankly.

And mine. I didn't post often on the AD threads but they helped me a lot. When I did post everyone was lovely and supportive.

They gave me some of the few laughs there were in lockdown, that's for sure. I think some of the outrage is that they weren't respectful enough of all those people trying to enforce some (frankly nonsensical) rules.

I didn’t post on there not sure why not

I battled the main board I was just so incredulous at what I was reading most of the time

Not that it did any good

@MinkyGreen You want to see nasty comments about a group of peoplw on here? Look for any thread about social housing tenants. Ive spent a massive chunk of the last ten years campaigning for better rights both online and in RL.

But here is what i havent done I havent accused any SH haters of being in a cabal Or demanded comments be deleted. Because its too easy to gaslight once comments have been deleted which i suppose would be handy with the enquiry coming up Because i prefer to let comments stand. And i cant help noticing that the concern about some of us living in "hovels" have not yet developed into a campaign about people being allowed to live in bigger homes where they can self isolate more easily. e,g the bedroom tax still stands. Its funny how certain people dont want to follow up their faux concern with more room for SH tenants to self isolate. We could start with a new campaign to end bedroom tax for good. I wonder how many of the middle class who loved lockdown but denigrate SH tenants would put their money where their mouths are for this!!!

DISCLAIMER I do realise there are many middle class people who DO support more rights for tenants on here.