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

This thread seems to have been set up and supported by a small group of people who have decided their world view is correct and shouldn’t be challenged by wrong think. I don’t think echo chambers are ever good, but you can just set up a private group which you can do on lots of platforms. I do think it’s a shame not to engage with people on public forums rather than come up with strategies to have them censored.

Wahey, 10%. And the other 90?

Are we getting derailed again?

Can’t be any more derailing than biscuit recipes!

Looks like it. We’re the biggest fools for letting it happen by responding.

I think we know that's not what the poster said.

Something definitely needs to be done about moderating overnight, I thankfully wasn't affected by the child abuse images but can't imagine what it was for like for those that were.
Surely having proper moderation on a night is the way to go

Ah but they're a pleasant and useful derailment.

I have enjoyed this thread a lot though. Maybe there could be a thread somewhere where this discussion continues. Prob not AIBU. I guess we should thank MN for not deleting what is if not a TAAT definitely a TATs

But luckily the colour of my face means I won’t be mistaken as one of them!

No, of course not.

I agree. I lived through the 70s and 80s with IRA bombings in mainland cities. Did it make me prejudiced against all people of Irish/NI descent? No it didn't. I knew 100% of bombers may have been Irish but a miniscule percentage of Irish people were bombers.

Some immigrants from Islamic countries have committed crimes. Does this make me prejudiced against the wonderful consultant at the eye clinic who has hopefully saved my sight - No! What about my volunteer colleague from Turkey who escaped the political regime there and sacrificed his own career to give his daughters a better future - misogynist - No! I'm sure there are many more like them just living their lives. They probably didn't get here on small boats either but do any of the racists abusing brown skinned people in the streets bother to check?

My daughter is mixed Jamaican/English and went on holiday to Morocco (land of rapists according to many on MN) during the riots last summer and said how much safer she felt there as a brown skinned person.

I would actually rather small boat crossings stopped because it's unsafe and traffickers are getting rich on other people's misery. It can't be beyond human ingenuity to devise a way of claiming asylum without people putting themselves through this.

More than. MORE THAN. read the figures

They're suggesting certain colour faces won't be accused of facism so easily.

And the pink thread has gone! 🎉🎉

What % then? Either way, it hardly touches the sides.

You can’t shut down these very good arguments because you don’t like them.

As was pointed out to you yesterday the biscuit recipes are in response to your persistant de-railing/'sea-lioning'

Ignoring or reporting* are probably better strategies IMO

*deliberately de-railing threads is against MNHQ T&C

Agreed.

Some immigrants from Islamic countries have committed crimes. Does this make me prejudiced against the wonderful consultant at the eye clinic who has hopefully saved my sight - No! What about my volunteer colleague from Turkey who escaped the political regime there and sacrificed his own career to give his daughters a better future - misogynist - No! I'm sure there are many more like them just living their lives. They probably didn't get here on small boats either but do any of the racists abusing brown skinned people in the streets bother to check?

Why would you be prejudiced about a presumably British eye surgeon?

Why are you presuming they're British?

Why are you presuming they’re not? Just because they’re Muslim or brown, doesn’t mean they’re not British. Her post is incredibly odd and bit cringe. We’re discussing illegal immigration, which is a separate matter.

Oh FFS

Why don't you believe that racism and inflammatory rhetoric should be censored?

Ooh, so it has. They're "looking into the background" according to the deletion message.

The tone of your post suggesting I can’t read, could be ‘part of the problem’ , misquoting ‘As for engaging with people who are openly racist’ and suggesting I find another thread does strongly suggest you would prefer to shut down rather than engage with people who don’t follow your particular world view. I’d politely suggest this may be more to do with your world view not reflecting reality, rather a problem with any online platform and the mainstream views of people in the U.K.