Posters ready to disrupt

I try not to report ( I do as I have said always report trolls) but sometimes I do wonder if I am doing the right thing. I have let some fairly terrible posts stand although I have challenged them, but it isn't me who is taking the risk is it, if I ignore a post that is libellous or calls for someone to be shot, it is not me who will be held responsible for that, it is MN.

If it’s a lack of consistency as you think, then who else is there to blame?
The moderators rely on the members to report anything they think should be looked at.Some forums have moderators on the site themselves who as part of the thread zap anything they think needs deleting.This site is different.
Only they decide on what should be deleted.
If things are only just outside the guidelines then I guess they still don’t comply.But it’s not up to us as members to decide what is and what isn’t.

I think some of us have a higher tolerance for insults Galaxy, I prefer to let things stand, as do quite a few like minded posters, and those who give out the insults think they have scored a victory, so nobody reports some offensive posts.

Does anyone post in a deliberate manner? I don't think so. And different posters latch on to different things. So starting a thread can go either way. It might look contrived to some, but that's pure chance and not intentional.

No, I don't think they do either.

Posters may see something topical, something new reported in the media and decide to start a thread about it.

Those who may disagree may see it as trying to goad, or disrupt. That, however, is just their view.
Other opinions are available.

Horses for courses.

Or some of us not being as green as we are cabbage looking.

butterandjam

windmill1

Voltaire: "I disaprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

No censorship, if you please.

Seriously?

I don't know where you are, Windmill, but in UK speech censorship has the full backing of the law. We do NOT have the "right" to incite hatred, racism, violence etc on Gransnet
(or anywhere public) .

Not everyone agrees with your views. This judge certainly doesn’t.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/10/man-fined-for-burning-quran-in-london-wins-appeal-against-conviction

Perhaps those posters who disapprove of certain threads should write out a list of subjects which meet their approval so that we who are not in the know become aware of which subjects are considered suitable for threads and which are not on the Approved List?

It might be helpful.

rafichagran

I don't mind the arguments on the news and politics thread, however when we have light hearted threads and the topic is not to the liking of some, they come on and behave like sulky mean girls, ok if they are in the mood, but nasty and belittling if not.
Also if they do not like a thread they derail it, often taking the p...

Sulky mean girls is a very good description but they put me off because they can be so rude. You can agree to disagree without the insults.

AGAA4

I agree "Maybee70* Brexit split the country and the cracks have not healed.

I didn't realise the cracks were there until Brexit, but the country was already splitting.

Many were disenchanted with politics altogether & not voting, people like Farage & Dominic Cummings latched on to this & turned their fed-upness into a crusade about "Broken Britain" & against the status quo.Which swung the vote for Brexit.

I don’t understand why those ( Farage et al) who tell everyone that they are the true patriots are the very ones telling everyone how awful this country is. Until Brexit I’d never had people shouting nasty things to me in the street .

The 'how awful this country is' isn't just confined to Farage though is it, it has been for many years the cry of the left, Britain's colonialist past, the terrible statues, the institutions riddled by racism, the flag, and on and on.

Three points I've taken from this thread are
1. Ignore threads or posts if I think they are being used to goad or ask for clarification if it seems personally goady. I already do this and interestingly I rarely get a reply!
2. Leave unpleasant posts up but ignore them. They say more about the poster than anyone else. I do this already.
3. If I get deleted, and I don't think I have broken the guidelines, next time I'll ask the moderators why.
This is what I'll do and others can do as they like.

Allira

Perhaps those posters who disapprove of certain threads should write out a list of subjects which meet their approval so that we who are not in the know become aware of which subjects are considered suitable for threads and which are not on the Approved List?

It might be helpful.

I think that’s worth putting before the committee, don’t you think 😂

petra

Allira

Perhaps those posters who disapprove of certain threads should write out a list of subjects which meet their approval so that we who are not in the know become aware of which subjects are considered suitable for threads and which are not on the Approved List?

It might be helpful.

I think that’s worth putting before the committee, don’t you think 😂

👍

I'd do a 👍 too, but it might look like a clique in action!
😆

MayBee70

I don’t understand why those ( Farage et al) who tell everyone that they are the true patriots are the very ones telling everyone how awful this country is. Until Brexit I’d never had people shouting nasty things to me in the street .

I don’t understand that, why would anyone shout at you in the street?

Allira

^Does anyone post in a deliberate manner? I don't think so. And different posters latch on to different things. So starting a thread can go either way. It might look contrived to some, but that's pure chance and not intentional.^

No, I don't think they do either.

Posters may see something topical, something new reported in the media and decide to start a thread about it.

Those who may disagree may see it as trying to goad, or disrupt. That, however, is just their view.
Other opinions are available.

We can agree on that point. I've never yet spotted a thread started or post made to deliberately create trouble. Lots of people disagreeing with other people and certainly some indications that there are people who don't respect other peoples right to "freedom of speech" and report others just for having a different view to them personally. Really objects to the "hurty words brigade" - of "OOh ...they've called something by its accurate name - but I don't agree with the name they've used....ooh....I feel like stirring it...so I'll report it (even though that poster has done nothing wrong). They don't cast any credit on themselves for such behaviour.

I still don't understand why there are people who report just for a difference of opinion. What would be the point anyway of everyone having the same opinion as each other? Anyway - this is Britain, ie a country where we are most definitely supposed to have the right to "freedom of speech". That's one of the plus sides of being in Britain.

So - yep back to my point that one should only report if a post/thread is genuinely wrong (not just because they have the other opinion to oneself). My finger would go on the report button if someone proposed cruelty to children or animals for instance or put up a spam post. But, as stated before, I've never yet reported anyone because I've never yet seen such a reportable post.

No-one has to read a thread or individual post if they don't want to. They are doing so voluntarily and - if they are genuinely going to let their blood pressure get raised just because they personally disagree with someone else = just leave the darn thread and stop doing "report/report/report" just in order to push your own set of personal opinions apparently higher. People do themselves no credit by others thinking "I've spotted a censorious type there....hmmmm....." and add their name to a mental list of "self-appointed censors".

@CariadAgain

You have absolutely no evidence for what you are repeatedly saying about the reporting of posts. You don't do yourself any favours by going over and over the same ground.

Moderation is demonstrably inconsistent on the board; we just have to grin and bear it. Poster who feel they've been wrongly moderated can contact the mods who 'may' sort it out for them. That's the best that is on offer.

Has anybody else noticed the unwitting self-characterisation by some of the writers on this thread?

It might have been worth asking if others would see you as a poster "ready to disrupt", before using hints and twists to suggest it only other posters.

CariadAgain
I've never yet spotted a thread started or post made to deliberately create trouble.

I can't say the same for strange threads started, usually with American spellings, with very involved family stories.

I sometimes wonder if they are posted to try to get posters to reveal details about themselves. Best avoided.

MayBee70

I don’t understand why those ( Farage et al) who tell everyone that they are the true patriots are the very ones telling everyone how awful this country is. Until Brexit I’d never had people shouting nasty things to me in the street .

Who shouts at you in the street? 😲

Mind you, someone shouted at me in Tesco but he was obviously off his trolley (no pun intended).

DaisyAnneReturns

Has anybody else noticed the unwitting self-characterisation by some of the writers on this thread?

It might have been worth asking if others would see you as a poster "ready to disrupt", before using hints and twists to suggest it only other posters.

Can you explain exactly? Who?

I know I've been called a disruptor, but I'm entitled to explain that it is not meant intentionally - more often than not a way to lighten a thread.

I'm confused here whether we are talking about the rude aggressive disruptors, the belittling disruptors, the frivolous disruptor, the reporting disruptors, or the whole of GN membership?

I know I've been called a disruptor

Really? I'm astonished from what I have seen of your posts, escaped!

MaizieD

@CariadAgain

You have absolutely no evidence for what you are repeatedly saying about the reporting of posts. You don't do yourself any favours by going over and over the same ground.

Moderation is demonstrably inconsistent on the board; we just have to grin and bear it. Poster who feel they've been wrongly moderated can contact the mods who 'may' sort it out for them. That's the best that is on offer.

That is obviously unrealistic - as it implies a poster would keep a copy of every post they made - just in case it got "wiped". So as to have the evidence to present to the mods - ie "Dear mods - see below 10 posts there's nothing wrong with whatsoever....but someone took it on herself to report it. Please reconsider and reinstate it".

Sounds like a lot of work to preserve our British rights of freedom of speech.

I guess you know that is not a realistic proposition - as I don't suppose someone would say that if they thought evidence would be presented so to say of unreasonable deletions.