Why do you come to Gransnet?

Because I'm boring and twee and like virtual and virtual and pupppy dogs and cute little kittens and sugar and spice and all things nice I enjoy GN for the kitchen. Or I could enjoy the kitchen because the posters who go there have a sense of humour and fun, get on with each other and try and help each other get through the tough times with genuine care and concern and welcome anyone who wants to pop in.

Re-read my post Annie. I was talking about a closed, members only FB page, not closing the Politics forum. The first is in my gift if I choose to do it; the second is not my decision to make.

GG, you said you thought it time the thread was closed and I replied - freedom of speech, what you do on Facebook is of no interest to me

Reading some of the posts on here, anyone would think the whole of Gransnet was a battlefield of mud slinging, name calling, bitching and back stabbing.

It isn't!!

You're no saint yourself, GG2 - haven't one or two of your posts been deleted on various Political threads? Pots and kettles etc...

For GNHQs information I have a feeling people are moving from open forums to closed communities such as FB group pages. I already belong to two which cover my hobbies. I certainly would not recommend my friends to come on here - why would I want them subjected to personal attack disguised as moralising which is not stopped?

What does that mean in the context of setting up somewhere else where I would feel more comfortable?

Freedom of speech GG, freedom of speech

If the answer to a simple GNHQ question is an overwhelming attack on personalities not content - and this is allowed by GNHQ - it is probably high time an "I fled from GN Politics thread" closed, members only FB page was opened.

You may well feel that Elegran and Anniebach but, that being the case, I would suggest that people who don't like a rancorous atmosphere should not provoke one. For instance, to use virtually every political thread to keep repeating the same statements over and over again is, in my opinion, aimed at provoking a response and is bound to get one.

If you feel someone has overstepped the mark and been rude or unkind, why not just say so and continue posting your opinions? I have had three occasions on Gransnet where what I considered to be very spiteful, personal comments were made to me. I felt hurt and deflated but responded to defend myself and then carried on as normal.

On the other hand, perhaps I should have just ignored such remarks because in a way I think they are designed to aggravate, and ignoring them would thwart that intention.

Thirdly I think sharing personal problems is extremely helpful , partly because of the anninomty this site provides.

I think that could answer Eloethan's point about names not being 'blued' - some people may prefer anonymity as they may put a few personal details on a thread and not wish to be identified.

It could also be a reason why some people do not introduce their friends or relatives to the site.

In answer to original question I personally love the word games, they make me use my brain . I also am interested in politics , but in some cases it is obvious unless you are a virtual politician then your comments will be at worst ridiculed or ignored deemed as not worthy of reply, so it can sometimes feel disheartening , often a poster will be hell bent on correcting another's incorrect grammar etc & then the original topic quickly goes of piste & deteriorates .Thirdly I think sharing personal problems is extremely helpful , partly because of the anninomty this site provides.

I'm very happy to argue political points but too many political threads descend into personal sniping.

Yup (as someone who has been sorely sand-blasted on political threads more than once).

I also agree with Elegran's assessment and I also concur with Monica "one political thread is indistinguishable from any of the others". How true!

GG, why ask me? Many have given their opinions

Elegran I could not agree with you more. This is why I have given up entirely on the political threads and having also seen threads I have started on items in the news that are only marginally political turned into political threads. I am very selective about the threads I start.

It is not as if the usual suspects have anything interesting to say. Within a page of any political thread all the usual suspects are saying all the usual things until one political thread is indistinguishable from any of the others.

Goiod post Elegran

Good post, Elegran.

There is a lot of intolerance around - and not just on GN.

It is all very well saying avoid the political threads, or " give your own opinions and be prepared to back them up if they are challenged." but many people want to talk about things in a calm (and hopefully constructive) atmosphere, not one in which confrontational dispute is the order of the day.

If I come across a group of people shouting disagreement at each other in the street, I don't step up and offer my opinion - one or more is likely to assume that I favour the other side to them, and bop me one for it. That is how it is on those threads. Half a dozen people with previous history are busy knocking ten bells out of each other, none too politely, and anyone else who joins the conversation is assumed to be there as a supporter or an irritation.

And the contests spill over readymade into any other thread that is started. The topic for the threads is "News and Politics" and under the banner that "All news is politics" every thread on anything in the news fills up with the same combat. The personal animosities can even be felt in other topics

The argument that The Kitchen is just as extreme in the other direction won't wash - firstly that is one thread, while party political warfare fills dozens of threads at a time and the antagonism leaks into other subjects, and secondly boring and twee doesn't hurt, marginalise or intimidate anyone.

Some days I don't manage to get on here at all so don't read the threads with many pages unless I've been on them from early on. I've never read any of the political ones (not well enough informed about politics to be interested) so don't see the slanging matches and usually ignore some of the contentious comments I've seen on others. I just enjoy the general chat, find some posts informative and generally like feeling part of the virtual community we belong to.

This fairly harmless and reasonable post requesting information as to what interests people on Gransnet seems to have presented an opportunity to some people to keep reiterating the view that there is "bullying" on the news/political threads.

There are without doubt some very forthright views expressed and a certain amount of what some people might consider intemperate language or deliberately provocative remarks. But some of the people who are complaining about this have indulged, and continue to indulge, in the very same behaviour themselves - as a few of the above comments demonstrate.

If you feel a thread is too weighted to reflect a particular political stance, then give your own opinions and be prepared to back them up if they are challenged. You are anonymous (most of you don't even have a "blued" profile giving even the most basic information about yourselves) - so, unless someone makes a particularly personal and hurtful remark, why would a poster disagreeing with your point of view be seen as trying to shut down discussion?

Well I was gonna have my third go..... But after a couple of glasses bottle of wine I had better just shut up.

I think I remember the thread you mean Azie09 - was it was under 'Health', not Politics, but I didn't think it was unkind. I think that some posters thought it may not be genuine (it probably was) and there was some self-deprecating humour on there too.

How interesting to come back to this thread and see just how many people feel uncomfortable about some of the slanging matches that go on and so avoid the site or avoid posting.

It's not just the political threads though. Those are possibly the worst and people saying 'oh just avoid them' are simply condoning personal abuse. Sometimes an OP is misleading or sometimes curiosity or just wanting to know more or think about an issue leads to looking at a so-called political thread and then regretting it.

Unkind and cutting posts do turn up on other threads. One that comes to mind recently was someone who started a thread about the possibility of a link between obesity and class. I'm sure the hotheads will immediately say 'oh that's politics' and think that gives them carte blanche to wade in.

Frankly, there are half a dozen posters whose usernames immediately lead me to think 'uh-oh' when they appear on a thread and it's never long before two or more of them are 'at it' throwing nasty and very personal abuse at each other and others.

I suppose it's social media and the general tenor of the UK which seems to have got worse over the last year but I don't think it's necessary, maybe the more aggressive amongst the GN crowd could just stop and think about how they respond and whether they would do it face to face. I would hope not.