The MNHQ Moderation Team: Thread 2

[BarrackerBarmer]

Follow on thread regarding the data breach situation:
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Dear MNHQ

I'm very grateful for the commitment to free speech you've publicly taken, and for Justine's courage this week.

A former disgruntled employee of MN is writing on Twitter about the 'transphobia' of MN staff, and calling you TERFs. She is showing a great deal of bias and intolerance towards women with feminist views, this may well be her honest opinion, which is no big deal I suppose, since she is no longer an employee.

At least, it isn't an issue until she calls a shout out to her
'friends who still work at MN' to report and take down posts by 'transphobic scum', by which she appears to be referring to any poster objecting to being called TERF by her friend.

Regardless of the personal views of the MNHQ staff, who should be as free to hold their own views as I am mine, I am disturbed that there may be a small contingent of employees who are invested in unfair moderation and will not be applying fair-handed principles, at least if the claims of this ex-employee are credible.

Can you please give posters some reassurance that the difficult job of fair-handed moderation isn't being abused by the 'friends' of ex-employees who are 'reporting it all' and taking down posts because any gender criticism means the poster is 'transphobic scum'?

Thank you.

Sisters Uncut are being referred to as Misters Uncut and I think that's very aposite.

I don't fully get TerfsUp's point upthread (I guess it means some disabilities can't be "made worse") but surely there's no need for that level of personal vitriol AskBasil?

I also think as a fellow autistic person it would affect me. Going to a meeting in a gentle quiet environment with a clear plan, versus walking through a loud unpredictable shouting noisy place where people might be flashing lights on their cameras - the latter would make me think twice, never mind the violence, because I'd risk having a total meltdown panic attack.

Another autistic person who would find a cordon of angry posh guys a significant barrier to attending a meeting.

HOWEVER, substantially less of a barrier than to someone with a physical disability or mobility impairment.

Let’s be decent to each other, ey? It’s not disability top trumps.

"It’s not disability top trumps."

Yy to this (and apologies if that's what it sounded like from me too).

The original post said you may well end up much more disabled than you started out.

No. I would not necessarily leave the meeting "much more disabled than you started out". If I went to a meeting that has a positive outcome in a supportive environment, I wouldn't leave the meeting less autistic. I would leave just as autistic as I was before the meeting.

TerfsUp, you get that counter examples don't disprove "may well end up", right? I could play Russian roulette and not get a hole in my head, but that would still not disprove the general contention that "partially loading a revolver, pointing it at my head and pulling the trigger may well end up harming my health".

There is a gulf between "may well end up" and "would not necessarily", you know.

Yes but surely if you are likely to have a panic attack, your autism itself may not be worse, but your mental health in general may be?

I know mine would. (Also autistic)

There is also the potential I'd lash out, which is a worry when that's exactly what they want.

Was everyone on acid last night? The threads are weird

I really want to go to one of these meetings but would struggle due to my sensory issues. I'm awaiting an assessment for autism and would find the lights, heat, being in a group and noise very triggering for my anxiety. Also travelling to the meeting would be immensely stressful, especially if I had to take the train. In response to TerfsUp, there would be mental health repercussions for me if I attended a meeting as I would definitely have a melt down when at home.

The threads are weird

Yes. Something is definitely up. The thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3228046-influx-of-trolls-transphobic-posts-on-these-boards could well be onto something.

"surely there's no need for that level of personal vitriol AskBasil?"

I'm not sure, it depends on how you define need.

It really pissed me off that Terfsup seemed to be arguing that because her disability would be unaffected by running the gauntlet upstairs through a bunch of violent men, that means that anyone else with a disability or frailty, should also be unaffected.

I found it astounding that anyone can make that argument. So much so that I wonder if I've misunderstood it.

I wish there was a version of Feliway we could use on FWR to mellow things out. Feelings are clearly running high, particularly with the influx of goady fuckers testing everyones patience. Peace and love all. Time for a brew (chamomile), I’d say.

I'm sure she can speak for herself, but I read that post as just frustration at the 'in any way disabled' overgeneralisation. TBH I think you misinterpreted and overreacted, basil.

Well yes I think completely misinterpreted.

But arguably even if you hadn't, that sheer, unrestrained venom and nastiness at a disabled person online was horrible to read.

Maybe save the fury for the arseholes actually out to cause trouble for us all?

I've just re-read Terfup's post and yes, I did misinterpret it

I thought you were on a wind up because I misread that symbol TerfsUp. I thought you were saying that you needed to have a wheelchair or mobility problems to be disabled and I couldn't understand how you could possibly say that and then make an exception for your own disability. I was outraged by what seemed to be goady inconsistency at best and being on a wind up/ trolling at worst.

I realise I was reading it wrong. I thought you were being dismissive about other people's real fears and it made me feel really ragey. I shouldn't have said what I did to you though and I'm very sorry that I was horrible to you.

And yes you're right Mogleflop, I should direct my rage against a more appropriate target.

I have to say if I were surrounded like they did in one of the videos I would likely have had a panic attack and that would be terrifying. I can only hope they'd get someone to help and not trample on me if I passed out.

These days all I could do is sit down on the stairs and wait for them to go away. In my younger days there would have been trouble. The masked men were lucky that the women they confronted were not their younger selves.

What these masked thugs are gunning for is one of us in front of a judge just like Tara was.

If we even so much as brush past them they will fling themselves downstairs or drop to the ground crying assault.

Honestly, stay the fuck away from them.

I don't know how to best deal with those cry-bully tactics mentioned by Weebo. It just means they control the situation and get their way, and women have to behave like saints, bc the slightest human response would have us accused of all kinds of "literal violence", arrested etc.

Yes they waiting for us to snap, we must retain the higher ground though it absolutely galls me to say so!! They are too young, stupid and incapable of seeing the bigger picture or see outside of their insular world view. Though saying that I don't think they would be stupid enough to commit actual physical violence, it would ruin their cause and they know this. The best thing we can do is to ridicule them, point out their white, middle class privilege..... They will HATE that!