Concerns about racism

[PandoraSocks]

Hi there Mumsnet HQ

Many of us are concerned about the uptick of hatred, xenophobia and racism on the site over the past couple of weeks. Most of the bigotry is focused on asylum seekers. MNHQ will of course delete racism etc. if reported, but this has gone way beyond a few hateful posts.

Links below to three examples of threads which have descended into real nastiness.

Cheers.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/in_the_news/5385273-civil-unrest-whats-really-going-on?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5385914-do-you-believe-there-will-be-a-civil-war?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5386073-to-be-so-fed-up-amd-disheartened-with-all-the-xenophobia?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

I don’t know what to say @NautilusLionfish it’s all just platitudes. I’m sorry. That’s fucking shit.

Thank you for Posting this thread Pandora.
I was almost at the point of deleting my App & finding a more useful way of spending my time but I will stay for a while, challenge & report & see how it goes!

@NautilusLionfish I don't know what to say either apart from I'm so sorry.

I would actually like @BeckyAMumsnet to comment on the fact that mean threads about the Royals are pulled whilst the racist ones aren't.

I am not sure challenging is any use any longer. 😔 It has gone beyond that.

Reporting though... I will be taking Becky's suggestion on board.

This is in site stuff. It is available for all MNrs to post on @PandoraSocks I'm not surprised to read the thread, at all. Fortunately, MN won't be caving into demands to stop people talking about immigration. Thanks @BeckyAMumsnet for confirming that being concerned about rising levels of immigration, doesn't make you a racist.

@Dangermoo nobody is saying that we can’t talk about immigration! That’s not what this thread is about.

Can you not see the difference between discussing the subject and expressing racist views about it?

As another poster said, asked to explain where somebody has been racist, and you rarely get a direct answer. I haven't come on this thread for an argument. I hate racism as much as anybody else. Lots of posts rightfully get deleted, but it seems some posters want posts or threads deleted, and are applying a broad brush.

Of course anyone can post on this thread, but not to deliberately derail the thread. That is against Talk guidelines. Which is why MN deleted some of JamesMacGill's derails earlier.

Neither I nor anyone else on this thread has made

"demands to stop people talking about immigration"

Or has said that being concerned about rising levels of immigration makes you racist.

I am grateful to @BeckyAMumsnet for setting out MNHQ's position and her clarification about reporting posts so that MNHQ can spot patterns and take action when threads are getting overrun with racism.

Finally, you can try to bully me all you want. I knew when I posted this thread that it would piss certain people off. The fact that you object to it is telling.

Have a fabulous evening.

it seems some posters want posts or threads deleted, and are applying a broad brush

Then I suggest that you go back and read the thread again.

Nobody is trying to bully you - the fact that you presume that, is also very telling. Good evening.

Which thread - this one? I've skim read through it and only came across it as I was looking for something else. As I said, I'm not surprised by it. Hopefully mods will continue to strike the balance between banning actual racists and not bowing down to pressure to see every different viewpoint as a sign of bigotry.

We are legitimately concerned that the balance is currently not where it should be, because we feel that a great many racist posts are being allowed to stand. Having clarification on the moderation process is helpful and we are grateful to @MNHQ for it.

What we have objected to on this thread, which has led to deletions, is people posting their views on immigration when that is not the topic of the thread. Not engaging with the thread and instead pursuing one's own agenda (when there's a whole AIBU playground out there) is disrespectful to OP.

You are absolutely free to not agree with us and feel that the current balance of moderation is absolutely fine. Though that viewpoint is also very telling.

Edited to clarify a sentence that took a left turn at Albuquerque.

I'm also sorry you feel like this. I'm not at a loss for words, because i have a large stock of them. If it's any consolation - and it won't be - I am 67 years old and I don't feel I belong here either. White Irish descent, but it's not about that - it's about I can't believe what GREAT Britain has become. Is that person down at the supermarket one of them? No. Because they aren't behind a keyboard or wearing a balaclava. They are cowards. They come out when hiding behind masks. And they are idiots, because they are nothing but cannon fodder for rich bastards who exploit them to gain more power. And I'm past caring what MNHQ think about me saying that.

MNHQ sit in judgement allowing disgusting discrimination - if it isn't racism, it's attacks on the elderly, on the disabled, on anyone who isn't like "us". I don't think they've even noticed that add together all of us "hated" and we actually outnumber them. They literally NEVER hear the stories about what this does to people, not even when we tell them. They tell us to challenge. They tell us it's "educational". Who the fuck for? Because we certainly are not educating the moderators, nor the owner. They do not care one jot about us or stories. How much is Justine worth? She likes to keep it a secret. Her money is made on our backs, just like all those others. Small wonder that clicks are more important than morals.

Let's not hear from moderators. Let's have the organ grinder. JUSTINE, DO YOU ACTUALLY GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE TOXIC MESS THAT YOU OWN? OR IS IT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY? TELL US?

I highly recommend you read the eloquent post written by @NautilusLionfish

ETA and the storming one from @PhilippaGeorgiou who deserves a crate of the finest malt known to womankind!

Don't engage. That poster doesn't care.

Yeah, I know. Thanks for reminding me x

It's very telling that I acknowledge MN has the balance right, between banning posters and allowing freedom of speech, conducive to a healthy debate? I stood up for somebody today, who I saw being piled on - something else, which is well moderated. Is that also very telling? As MN advocate, if you don't like threads, just hide them. I see plenty that I think should get deleted but which doesn't.

Google yields nothing for:

“There’s been a report from a journalist who infiltrated a far right group saying they had a planned attack on all social media forums, posts to turn them into negative on immigration, thousands upon thousands shared links for others to jump on.
the digital age is ridiculous”

Fake news.

The poster is posting on a public, not a private thread.

How odd. I thought we had freedom of choice who to engage with.

So? We can choose to have any of conversation we want on a public thread. Apparently. If I chose to remind somebody of something that's my business. On MN threads I can say anything I want. APPARENTLY.

I found numerous pages of them. Try Googling “infiltration far right group” and you’ll find them too.

Which thread - this one? I've skim read through it and only came across it as I was looking for something else

Well perhaps you should do more than just skim read something before coming to state what has been said?

I won't be giving it any more of my time. I read the MN responses, which confirmed what other posters have been saying on the threads, where attempts are made to shut down conversation. Thanks anyway. As you all were. 😊

Nobody has been talking about shutting down conversations @Dangermoo. Don’t be so daft!

Read the thread properly.