Can I just warn any lurkers out there...........

Gransnet is a democracy. Just refuse to go.

That's what I shall do if anyone tries to drum me

Well, I don't have a degree (never went to university - Open or not), proud to say I come from good working class stock. Anything I have achieved has been despite my education, not because of it.

Hope all this doesn't mean I will be drummed out, defrocked or whatever happens when someone is asked to leave .

I thought that Elegran but we cannot be absolutely sure.

Petallus I don't think I commented at the time, but the spelling did strike me as being that "Bak to Skule" kind of bad spelling that cartoonists and comic strip writers go in for.

Jing didn't say you had to have a degree to be educated!
I may have been the only one to admit to not having one, but I'm sure I'm not alone. And I had an excellent education!

Yes, I was relieved too .

Elegran there were negative comments about poor spelling.

Jingle I'm relieved to see that 'even OU degrees' count towards being educated! Cheeky!

Thanks Hilda. I think rather a lot of people have been bullied but hopefully these days schools are more aware and deal with it.

Totally agree about the petty trouble makers, time they grew up and got a life!

Movedalot - of course you are right. I was using the term 'bully' in a more general way, more a petty trouble maker. Those sort go away when nobody rises to the bait. True bullies need confronting, and having been bullied myself at school, I could have done with someone like you around back then!

Hilda I am sure you are right in some cases but I remember a situation when a bully only stopped when confronted. He had intimidated most of my colleagues before I challenged him and then he was sweet as pie!

Petallus I don't think anyone is judging them for their spelling (no-one would dare, they might be next) but for pretending to be someone who was iliterate illiterate, poor, and needing "babied" into posting on the forum. Anyone who has done any teaching is familiar with the way genuinely illiterate or poorly educated people write, and it is no not the same as people who are pretending.

If everyone had to sit a grammar and speling test before posing posting, and get full marks, the forum would be empty (except for Pedants' Corner, and the posters there would have to point out each others' slips)

I have crossed through my mistakes this time instead of over-writing them. when When I forget to review, there are always some in the post

Mmm, in small doses I might find them entertaining.

For some reason your expression 'coarse and unspeakably boring' made me smile (in a nice way) in the light of the OP.

I agree piss takers should piss off.

They probably would anyway when they find out we are not a load of old dears.

Surely the comments about the spelling were part of the process of detecting a fake in this specific instancer – in the same way as in a real-life conversation a false French accent would be a give-away.

I don't understand the whole 'stirring' concept - apart from puddings of course!

petallus Do you welcome coarse and unspeakably boring posters then? I still think jenrick is a combination of two people's names, probably slightly stupid adolescents who thought it would be fun to take the piss out of a load of old dears.

COME OUT GERALDINE, Jing is just stirring as usual!

Agree the illiteracy was probably faked. Nevertheless, we are giving out a message to our lurkers if we comment on incorrect spelling rather than the content of the post.

Well put Annodomini, better than I. What I was trying to say was that, as with horrid little playground bullies, ignoring them is usually the best policy.

I don't believe for a moment that certain posters, whose names cannot be mentioned, were as illiterate as they appeared to be. They were spoofing and were probably students who had lit upon G'net and decided to have a bit of fun with the grannies. Can we get over it now please?

Well at least we know 'coarse and unspeakably boring' posters aren't welcome!

Please feel wellcome (inviting)

Is this a private fight or can anyone join in?

I knew that really, jeni!

No! Jingle! She's obviously 'got one on her ' as me old gran would have said!