GNHQ here - please read

I am really sorry to see that a thread asking people to be kind and refrain from personal insults has had to delete so many posts.

My opinion has always been leave the posts up, as they say far more about the poster than the recipient of the attack.

I would not post anything that I would not say face to face

Glad GNHQ has raised this issue. I have noticed this unpleasant trend from some posters and it sometimes seems that the people concerned simply must have the last word - they cannot help themselves! Then they become nasty to other people who may not have the same opinion as them.

Then the thread becomes all about their argument and the original post becomes derailed and unhelpful to the OP.

I hardly ever post now but I used to like a good debate/exchange of opinions but without nasty snide comments.

Sorry you feel that way, GGumteenth. My own experiences have led me to conclude that there is definitely favouritism on this site. Some posters get away with things, others (newcomers) don't.
This will probably be my last post too as I have been threatened with eviction.
I shall continue to lurk but not contribute.

lemongrove- thanks for clarifying. I did wonder what was going on.

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I agree with raised levels of irritability Jane10 I've noticed it in myself at the moment.

There are some 'inane' threads at times MissAdventure but I don't think HQ should be monitoring any more than they are already.

Maybe I'm just a tough old bird having spent some of my teaching career in places where the names I was called and the attacks made on me were real, and could, if not managed properly, become physical,, but actually compared with what is said on much social media the attacks on GN seem fairly innocuous to me. Now I can understand that some people don't want to get into debate and discussion that can get heated, and that's their privilege. I also understand that there are some posters who are looking for help and understanding and who want support and if they are using GN for that it is something that shouldn't be abused. What I can't understand is why one sort of thread should take prescedence over another, or why a whole thread has to be deleted because two posters have a spat. It's a bit like the old actions of teachers when the whole class was punished for the misbehaviour of a few. It doesn't work. Mostly because some of the people who actually cause the disruption don't recognise their responsibility and so go on to repeat the actions. I think that is evident from some of the posts on this thread.
I do by the way recognise I am at times abrasive and call people out. (That's before some step in to tell me so) But I can take any sort of criticism and will never be defined by the things said about me, or to me, on GN.

Jane .....have to say not culprits ( plural) as I have now realised that by using the quote facility it automatically means that a deleted post means that our own post will also be deleted for repeating the deleted one ( if that makes sense.)?

Just read this thread. Well. Gosh. So many deleted posts! Often from the same culprits. It's surprising that such a thread has led to such apparent unpleasantness. Surely people have got the message by now.
I should say that I've noticed Twitter seems to show similar levels of argumentative posts as compared to pre lockdown levels. Seems we're all experiencing a higher level of irritability.

WW I’ve nearly inhaled my coffee at the image your post brought to mind. I was imagining them all sitting in the same room and squabbling away.

I think it has to be ‘impressive speed’ Furret otherwise it makes a mockery of what Lara from GNHQ said in the OP.
If there is any nastiness on this thread, what hope is there for other threads?
I totally agree Whitewave ?

I'm impressed GNHQ. You are certainly being proactive.
Hopefully the message will eventually get through, that the message applies to everyone posting and not just individual posters, as some seem to think.

No-one wants a bland GN, just a civil one, where we may not agree, but can respect another poster's views.

maizie???

I go on the garden threads and so far there hasn’t been any falling out?

It is all a bit silly and a tad embarrassing if you think about it.

All this is, is a load of elderly folk (not old biddies of course) who don’t know each other from Adam arguing the toss about the same old thing, not getting anywhere but getting really heated sometimes. I’m sure my children would be highly amused. Well I’m sure they would.

This plea from GNHQ has been done before -well quite regularly really, and it lasts as long as the next heated debate??

Wow! Impressive speed GN.

It’s for all threads am sure MaizieD and I have made the mistake of using the quote facility ( which means...if a post is deleted and then you quote that post, your own post is usually deleted even though the words are those of another poster.)

Pedants’ corner can get a bit heated!

I've come late to this thread but I'd be grateful if Lara would clarify something. Is her plea related to all the forums?

I don't usually go far away from the Politics forum and I was under the impression that it was all sweetness and light everywhere else. I'm a bit

I think it is, Furret ?

Oh dear. Isn’t this exactly the sort of escalation that Lara was talking about?

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Crossed posts, Tickingbird

I’m not really aware of personal attacks as such.
What does annoy me is when, in what should be reasoned debate, a poster’s words are twisted, assumptions are made about their political allegiances, and accusations are made which are irrelevant and detract from the issue being discussed.

I’ll just add that I know I can be abrasive born out of frustration but there’s double standards here. There’s a strategy with some of responding to posts that aren’t there, and I’m not just referring to my spat a few days ago. I see it happening to others. It’s as if some just refuse to take on board what’s been said so invent something they can respond to in faux outrage.

I agree about the “please Miss, it’s not us”. GNHQ do seem to arbitrarily remove posts whilst leaving others on which are downright nasty.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion but this constant labelling members of racism, sexism etc is lazy and just stifles reasoned debate. Personally, I’m bored with it. The sooner lockdown’s over the better.