Pitfalls & benefits of anonymity?!

Thanks Wilma. I’m another one who has felt so intimidated by the nastiness of other posters (not only to me personally but to anybody who doesn’t agree with them) that I changed my user name. There are some people whose posts I always scroll past because of their general tone. But equally there are others whose posts I will always read because, even though I don’t necessarily agree with them, they provide links etc to back their arguments and it’s good to hear the other side. We’re all entitled to an opinion but, as someone has already said, there are ways and ways of expressing it. As to the original question, I’d like to think I was the same on GN as I am in RL but I do sometimes decide not to give an opinion because of a possible nasty response. I suppose that makes me a bit of a wimp ...

Trisher it's the fact that I was brought up in a family who would argue discuss politics until the cows come home that makes it so difficult to stay off the politics threads.
Actually my family would argue about anything TBH and my parents produced three very competitive and argumentative children. There's no falling out, just a good discussion with everyone dying to say their 10p's worth. My parents were both union reps (me too) and we're all left wing (well, one a little bit less than the rest). Most of the time now though, there's only my DH to talk to and although he's also left wing (and an avid Private Eye subscriber), he's not much for discussion. So the politics threads on here are like my addiction! But I also have a problem with depression and I can allow those threads to be a distraction in an unhealthy way, so I step back now and again - until I'm drawn back in.

Not a wimp Overthehills,but a nice considerate person ?

Overthehills posters like you and Ailsa can't be wimps if you're still here.

Funnily enough yesterday I came across the thread started by GNHQ with a poll asking if we would like the option to change our user names. Apparently you can do this on Mumsnet. Until recently I didn't know GNHQ could change someone's name and I thought you'd need to reregister with a different name.

Discussing politics is seen as a bit of a sport, !

Discussing politics is seen as a bit of a sport, !

Certainly not by me. Politics is about other people's lives. I do not agree with the politics which says we will make some people richer and richer to the detriment of those who were already poor and unlikely to every be anything else.

I do believe that politics should be about enabling all the country to work towards a decent living and provide services for the very basic parts of life.

I will talk about and explain why one party - or several - have the possibility and intention to do the latter and why one party has the intention to do the first and no ability to do the latter. That's way I am doing the very little bit I am able to try and make this country a better place for everyone - not just a small elite, or even just the comfortable middle - to live in.

What discussion on here it is certainly not about, as far as I am concerned, is attacking other posters personalities. That is more than 'rude' and is certainly not forthright. Forthright, calling a spade a spade, frank, direct, blunt - none of these have a place on a politics thread when you are talking about another person rather than the topic.

Gracesgran the one braincell insult was said to all who voted to leave EU. The poster who said it knows who they are and no apology has followed. Not fake news.

Jalima

It was not said by me newnanny. I suggest you refer such comments to GNHQ.

The person who I said regarded "Discussing politics as a bit of a sport" was my grandfather and I said that this has enabled me to distance myself from political discussion which is totally different to not being passionate about beliefs. I have said before that my GD was a communist and union activist. But when he was ill with TB (which eventually killed him) he liked to go into pubs join a discussion argue a point (sometimes very much against his own beliefs) and leave the participants questioning whatever they thought they had believed in the first place. He thought question and discussion were part of thinking and if you expressed an opinion you had to have the knowledge to back up your belief. (or he would make mincemeat of you)!

Yes you did say your grandfather saw it as a bit of a sport and said it had been passed down

I could argue that it was the questioning things that had been passed down but quite frankly I can't be bothered. Happy new Year Annie I see you intend to begin it well.

Ditto Trisher

Surely it's when someone questions your beliefs and you can defend them that your belief strengthens and becomes worth something. Becomes more certain.
If you can't defend it to someone else or subject it to questioning then it shows an uncertainty in the belief or in yourself.
Likewise when you cannot defend the belief but have to resort to personal attacks it's because the belief cannot be defended by any kind of rational argument.
Jibes and personal attacks are the last resort of those who have lost the argument.

I had to defend why I had bought a bag of chips!

Have to ask MissAdventure, what was your defence ?

Discussing politics is seen as a bit of a sport, !
This was what I was answering and it was this post: Anniebach Tue 02-Jan-18 03:23:05

Don’t answer that MissA it might be a trap

Not another wanna be moderator

There is no defence for buying a bag of chips!

(get someone else to buy them for you)

he liked to go into pubs join a discussion argue a point (sometimes very much against his own beliefs) and leave the participants questioning whatever they thought they had believed in the first place.
We had a friend who did that, he would sit back and listen to everyone arguing their corner. It was what DH called 'the light blue touch paper and retire' policy.

My defence was that I fancied a bag, I queued for ages, and they were lovely! I wasn't going to swig them down with a strong can of drink (as was suggested) I didn't want the driver to lose his job just before Christmas (as was suggested) and oven chips wouldn't have fit the bill, (as was suggested)
The fact that I assured the driver I wasn't going to eat them on the bus meant that I really wasn't going to. (to those who thought I was lying to the driver "how did he know you weren't going to eat them?")
So, I'm unrepentant, and if I fancy another bag I shall attempt to take them on the bus again.

You fancied a bag ? Not guilty ?

Oh! These were the chips on the bus
At least you didn't buy the fish to go with them