Do you remember wayback when.........

Yes, the last time I started a thread on some everyday trivial annoyance I had people asking me if I had nothing better to worry about, why had I started such a pointless thread and one person even started pming me to berate me.
I mean it was perfectly clear from the title that it wasn't about global warming or the pandemic or anything serious.

I had recently been bereaved but apparently had no real problems because I wanted an idle chat about something not very important.

I've been a member for nearly 6 years and haven't noticed changes. Shortly after I joined there was a nasty spat about estrangement, so even then things could get heated. I agree that when someone starts a thread about something "trivial" and gets jumped on by others, it is upsetting to OP.

However, after last weekend's discussions, a few more members who don't post much, might be encouraged to support someone who has been pounced on for no good reason. It certainly has encouraged me to be less likely to stay quiet.

That's upsetting to hear, Vintagejazz. More for you.

Perhaps we all need to take a big breath before launching off about something. We do not know what is going on in other posters' lives, and while it's easy to put one's foot in it unintentionally, I can't see what anyone gains by going to the lengths of using pms to continue the attack.

Surely a bit of idle chat is what everyone needs from time to time, and if you're not in the mood for it, don't take part, for goodness sake! This all reminds me of the threads in Pedants' Corner (the clue is in the title) when someone accuses us of splitting hairs. That's what pedants do, and why we have a corner for doing it, and anyone is welcome to join in for a bit of splitting, but asking us why we are wasting time doing it is a bit pointless!

I’m not sure it’s changed a lot, the first couple of comments I made were shot down, one about dogs in restaurants as I recall, I was not upset, but quite surprised at the strength of feeling against me, so I don’t like dogs in restaurants, I’m not calling for all dogs to be euthanised.

Since then I just look in and out, like others I keep out of politics, to be honest I’m not knowledgeable enough to keep up, there are some very clever ladies here for sure.

It varies from time to time as posters come and go but the themes are generally similar, middle class, older female preoccupations for example relationships, health, hair & clothing, pets & gardens, politics right & left, and the perennial fav the Royal Family……..and hundreds of games threads.
Bit of a harmless time gobbling distraction really, but some posters are very kind and supportive to each other, and it is a source of useful information from time to time.
Not much change, but perhaps in the eye of the beholder? Depends what you’re looking for.

Calandargirl
I agree, I wouldn’t want to meet up, for me it would be way too weird.
I have mental pictures of most of the members I come across, and imagine their lifestyles, as you say, probably completely wrong, but from different threads you start to build up a picture.

Sara1954 I know what you mean. Spoiled the Archers for me when I saw photos of the actors who played the main characters.

Sara1954

Calandargirl
I agree, I wouldn’t want to meet up, for me it would be way too weird.
I have mental pictures of most of the members I come across, and imagine their lifestyles, as you say, probably completely wrong, but from different threads you start to build up a picture.

But that would be the fun bit, for me. Seeing if the mental picture fits or not?

Farzanah
Oh I know what you mean about the Archers, the men mainly, Tom, Will and Ed, just not what I had in mind, and Neil, who couldn’t love Neil, just all wrong.

I completely agree with OP. I find GN very dull these days and political threads are dominated by people with party affilaitions who seem too frightened to think outside the party line all the time, so that the possibity of an open free-ranging conversation when one can develop and even change ones views, is impossible.

Fluerpepper
I’m not sure, don’t you find you have a mental image of someone, then they say something that blows it all out of the window, and you have to rearrange your image completely.

Yes, totally- that is why seeing the reality could be fun.

If we were all in a room together, I wonder how many ladies we could accurately identify

I have been a member of GN for about ten years and looking back I remember the first half of 2016 as being, especially on News and Politics, full of appalling vicious nasty posts. There were numerous personal attacks on anyone who did not intend to vote leave in the EU referendum. In spite of many being reported the attacks often continued under different names.

I suspect that a number of these posters, who have not since been heard of, were actually trolls or bots.

I also agree with Dannirae ?

? pen friend! x

I do agree with DanniRae and not only that but I always perk up when I see her name.
Hope you got over the fly in your wine Kitty, I agree, soooo annoying.
I’ve been a member for five years, don’t feel much has changed in that time. Am I an established poster or still a newbie? Who knows. Don’t see that it should matter at all.

Sara1954

I’m not sure it’s changed a lot, the first couple of comments I made were shot down, one about dogs in restaurants as I recall, I was not upset, but quite surprised at the strength of feeling against me, so I don’t like dogs in restaurants, I’m not calling for all dogs to be euthanised.

Since then I just look in and out, like others I keep out of politics, to be honest I’m not knowledgeable enough to keep up, there are some very clever ladies here for sure.

I probably agreed with you having been to a café at a farm shop and seeing a man with his dog on his knee, feeding the dog with his leftovers ?

I've had dogs, I like most dogs ?

kittylester

One of the saddest things to happen to GN recently is that people need to say when a thread is lighthearted.

I think that is an indicator of the nastier nature of the group.

I was going to start a lighthearted thread about a fly in my wine but couldn't be bothered because I knew somebody would find fault with it.

Oh no, kittylester!

I just had a little fly land on my arm, my chest, my hand. It had better not land in my wine!
Cheers ?

Why on earth would anyone a) find fault with it b) need to be told it is light hearted? Really.

Just fish it out, and enjoy it- job done.

Was it doing breast stroke kittylester?

Will the alcohol kill any nasties?

Asking for a friend ?

youtu.be/0CwxAC7xU8Q

Well if you drink enough you wont care Callistemon .

MissAdventure

youtu.be/0CwxAC7xU8Q

oh LOL not seen that one for years, decades. LOL