Mumsnet

{{internet}}
'''Mumsnet''', nicknamed "'''[[wine|Prosecco]] [[4chan]]'''" or "'''Prosecco [[Stormfront]]'''"<ref>[https://archive.ph/hasl3 "Mumsnet really earning their nickname of Prosecco Stormfront."] by Caroline Dodds Pennock (@carolinepennock), Twitter, 2023 December 14, archived on 2024 January 15</ref> by its detractors, is a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Internet|website]] primarily for women with [[children]]. It is centered around discussion forums which allow debate on subjects related to parenting and families as well as other topics.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/oct/04/mumsnet-founder-justine-roberts-interview Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts: ‘We could do with all the parties being a bit more feminist’], The Guardian, 4 Oct 2014</ref> It has occasionally been accused of wielding surprising political influence. More recently, it has become notorious for [[transphobia]] as well as a variety of other [[delusion]]al ideas, from [[Anti-vaccination movement|vaccine]] woo to [[dinosaur denialism]].

The site has become a (widely ridiculed) part of British culture, with its own strange language such as DH (dear/darling husband), DD (dear/darling daughter), and BC (before children).<ref>[https://www.mumsnet.com/info/acronyms Acronyms], Mumsnet, accessed 29 March 2019</ref>

There are also offshoots of the site, e.g. "Gransnet" (for women over 50).<ref>[https://www.gransnet.com "Grandparents website"], self-described as [https://www.gransnet.com/info/about "the busiest social networking site for the over 50s"].</ref>

==History==
Mumsnet was founded in 2000 by {{wpl|Justine Roberts||,}} with help from Carrie Longton and Steven Cassidy. Roberts is the wife of {{wpl|Ian Katz||,}} formerly deputy editor of ''[[The Guardian]]'' and now Chief Content Officer at [[Channel 4]]. Roberts was awarded a CBE in 2017 for services to the [[economy]] (not to women ''per se'').

==Political influence==
For a while around 2010, politicians devoted a lot of time to wooing Mumsnet and its supposedly vast audience of mums (mothers are much more authentic than women who don't have children, who always seem a bit suspicious<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36760986 Andrea Leadsom apologises to Theresa May over motherhood remark], BBC, 11 July 2016</ref>). This was particularly the case among the British [[Labour Party]], with [[Gordon Brown]] and Ed Milliband attending its 10<sup>th</sup> anniversary party in 2010, and Gordon's wife Sarah being interviewed.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/feb/12/sarah-brown-mumsnet-interview Sarah Brown on Mumsnet: no rough ride over the ironing], The Guardian, 12 Feb 2010</ref> Tory leader [[David Cameron]] also made multiple appearances.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/nov/19/david-cameron-mumsnet-biscuits David Cameron takes the biscuit with third session on mumsnet], The Guardian, 19 Nov 2009</ref> ''The Guardian'' provided assiduous coverage of the site's every celebrity visitor, possibly because its then deputy editor Ian Katz was married to Justine Roberts. Since Katz left, it has become less prominent in the ''Guardian'''s news coverage.

==Transphobia==
In 2018, Mumsnet was heavily criticised for the [[transphobia|transphobic]] comments of some of its posters and the moderators' refusal to remove them. Activists threatened a [[boycott]].<ref>[https://www.wired.co.uk/article/mumsnet-moderators-trans-rights-debate Mumsnet moderators are struggling to find the line between free speech and transphobia], Amelia Tait, Wired, 19 Nov 2018</ref> That August, a planned live discussion with child protection charity NSPCC was cancelled because "nearly every single question posed to the NSPCC concerned trans children identifying as female. In them, the adults misgender trans kids, as well as conflate trans girls with [[rapists]]."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180905195405/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/nspcc-mumsnet-child-abuse-transphobia/ NSPCC cancel Mumsnet child abuse live chat after flood of transphobia], Gay Star News, 31 Aug 2018</ref> A [[Twitter]] feed MumsnetTransphobia (@MumsnetT) once catalogued abuses, but has not been updated since May 2018.<ref>[https://twitter.com/MumsnetT Mumsnet Transphobia], Twitter</ref>

Mumsnet has been accused of radicalising a generation of [[TERF]]s thanks to its numerous threads on how "trans women aren't actually women, and instead [[Bullshit|violent men intent on gaining access to women’s bathrooms, prisons, and domestic violence shelters to harm them, and the idea that gender self-identification is ripe for abuse by cis men who claim to be trans."]].<ref name=miller>[https://theoutline.com/post/6536/british-feminists-media-transphobic?zd=1&zi=l3rwnboj Why is British media so transphobic?], Edie Miller, The Outline, 5 Nov 2018</ref> Edie Miller said, "Mumsnet is to British transphobia more like what [[4Chan]] is to American fascism".<ref name=miller/>

Mumsnetters have even [[RationalWiki:Pissed at us|attacked RationalWiki]] for our [[Essay:I thought this was supposed to be RATIONALWiki|absence of transphobia]]. User lydiamajora posted: "The 'sceptic' movement as a whole is sceptical about health and religious woo, but not at all sceptical about gender woo. Check out RationalWiki wrt radfems and transgenderism, and prepare to rage."<ref>[https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3351578-Why-arent-Skeptics-sceptical-about-the-ability-to-change-sex Why aren't "Skeptics" sceptical about the ability to "change sex"], Mumsnet, 31 Aug 2018</ref>

On the 8th of April 2019, Stephanie Hayden obtained a court order compelling Mumsnet to release the details of one of their users over transphobia, leading to a sudden rush of TERFs, scared about the implications of being publicly outed as transphobes, hurrying over to [[Kiwi Farms]].<ref>[https://archive.fo/0F7kI Stephanie Hayden] on [[Twitter]], 8 April 2019.</ref>

The website did take action against extreme transphobic hate, with a policy statement published on 13 June 2018 which said "Mumsnet will always stand in solidarity with vulnerable or oppressed minorities" while still supporting free speech. It decreed that they wouldn't tolerate "posts which are derogatory or aggressive towards trans people" or "sweeping negative generalisations" about any group.<ref>[https://www.mumsnet.com/info/trans-rights-moderation-policy Mumsnet statement on moderation in particular with regard to trans rights], Justine Roberts (CEO and founder), Mumsnet, 13 June 2018</ref>

However in corners like the "feminism chat" you'll still find threads where people get excited over some minor celeb expressing vaguely "gender critical" (i.e. anti-trans-rights) viewpoints, e.g. Ben Elton.<ref>[https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3621170-Ben-Eltons-Identity-Crisis Ben Elton's Identity Crisis], thread on Mumsnet, initial post by TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross Mon 24-Jun-19 22:33:44</ref>

In April 2019, frozen food company Birds Eye broke off a deal promoting its products as approved by Mumsnet owing to the site's treatment of trans people, and Upfield (the makers of Flora vegan spread) likewise cut ties in October 2019.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190502083956/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/birds-eye-breaks-deal-with-mumsnet-for-anti-trans-posts/#gs.9t03pz Birds Eye breaks deal with Mumsnet for anti-trans posts], Gay Star News, 30 April 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/10/11/mumsnet-flora-upfield-boycott-transphobic-content-trans-rights/ Flora-owner Upfield cuts ties with Mumsnet over website’s ‘transphobic’ content], Pink News, 11 Oct 2019</ref> A narrative circulated at the time was that the denizens of Mumsnet were boycotting Flora, but when opening the relevant comment threads in its FWR section, they were filled with people claiming that they were too middle class to even consider buying it in the first place.

==Vaccines==
As you'd expect from a site so concerned with parenting, it contains a lot of debate about vaccines and the [[anti-vaccination movement]]. Most comments are sensible and you may even see evidence being cited.<ref>[https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/1347125-To-vaccinate-or-not-to-vaccinate To vaccinate or not to vaccinate], Mumsnet forums, 20 Nov 2011</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110112211451/http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/vaccinations/1118576-How-the-case-against-the-MMR-vaccine-was-fixed "How the case against the MMR vaccine was fixed"], Mumsnet, 6 Jan 2011</ref> But there are some people spreading anti-vaccine nonsense.<ref>[https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/678935-Decided-against-vaccinations-for-dd-thoughts-please Decided against vaccinations for dd...... thoughts please], Mumsnet 7 Jan 2009</ref>

==Other woo==
{{main|Woo}}
It occasionally contains posts on other woo/skepticism-related topics, such as [[homeopathy]]:

{{quotebox|Just found my labour preparation bottle of caulophyllum 200c Homeopathic remedy open on the floor with several of the little tablets lying next to it. Saw him chewing/sucking a few mins earlier but assumed it was the remains of our sushi. Am not panicking but wondering if anyone can advise if we should expect a level of disturbance/ill effects esp as 200c is such a high dose.<ref>[https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/parenting/795484-Any-homeopaths-here-DS-may-have-swallowed-Caulophyllum-200c-accidentally?msgid=16238460#16238460 Any homeopaths here? DS may have swallowed Caulophyllum 200c accidentally...], justlookatthatbooty, Mumsnet, 22 Jul 2009</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100121171313/http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/2009/08/homeopathy-101-overdoses-and-avogadro Homeopathy 101: Overdoses and Avogadro], Merseyside Skeptics blog, 5 Aug 2009</ref>}}

Someone called Kristen Auclair claims to have been banned from Mumsnet for [[dinosaur denialism]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150225053931/http://www.rationalskepticism.org/general-chat/ra-men-special-dinosaur-deniers-with-kristen-auclair-t48610.html Ra-Men special — Dinosaur deniers — with Kristen Auclair], RationalSkepticism.org forums, 20 Feb 2015</ref> Is [[Poe's Law]] in effect in the following post?

{{quotebox|I’m really concerned about dinosaurs, and I think something needs to be done. The science behind them is pretty flimsy, and I for one do not want my children being taught lies. Did you know that nobody had even heard of dinosaurs before the 1800s, when they were invented by curio-hungry Victorians?

…

Aside from the educational aspect, dinosaurs are a very bad example for children. At my children's school, several children were left in tears after one of their classmates (who had evidently been exposed to dinosaurs), became bestially-minded and ran around the classroom roaring and pretending to be a dinosaur. Then he bit three children on the face. One poor girl has been left with a severely dented nose and the whole class was left traumatised by this horrible display.

Nothing about dinosaurs is suitable for children, from their total lack of [[family values]] through to their non-existence from any serious [[scientific]] point of view.<ref>[https://www.skeptic.com/insight/poes-trolls-and-dinosaur-deniers/ Poes, Trolls, and Dinosaur Deniers], Skeptic.com, 25 Feb 2015</ref>
}}

==Security breaches==
Mumsnet has seen various security breaches over the years.

It was hacked in 2015 by David Buchanan, a bored 18 year old student from Surrey, England. Users' information was published online, leading to [[hoax]] calls to [[police]], threats, and a bomb scare at Mumsnet HQ.<ref>[https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/mumsnet-hack-haslemere-teen-led-11604495 Mumsnet hack by Haslemere teen led to leak of 2,000 accounts and bomb hoax], Surrey Live, 12 July 2016</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-36954673 Mumsnet cyber-hacker ordered to do 200 hours' unpaid work], BBC, 2 Aug 2016</ref>

A group called DadSec, comprising [[Men's rights movement|men angry at the site's anti-male attitude]], claimed to have hacked and DDOSed Mumsnet in 2015, sending armed police to Justine Roberts' home ([[SWATting]]).<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/mumsnet-hacker-speaks-out-we-6285082 Mumsnet hacker says motivation behind attack was 'anti-father' attitude of its members], The Mirror, 27 Aug 2015</ref>

In 2019, a software update exposed users' personal data.<ref>[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/02/07/mumsnet_breach/ Mumsnet data leak: Moaning parents could see other users' privates after cloud migration], The Register, 7 Feb 2019</ref>

==Am I Being Unreasonable?==
One of the site's most hilarious sections is the "Am I Being Unreasonable?" subforum where women post ridiculous things they've thought or done and expect validation but receive abuse. It is ridiculed by the Twitter account Mumsnet Madness.<ref>[https://twitter.com/mumsnet_madness Mumsnet Madness], @mumsnet_madness, Twitter</ref>

==External links==
*[https://www.mumsnet.com Mumsnet]

==References==
{{Reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Anti-vaccination movement]]
[[Category:British media]]
[[Category:British politics]]
[[Category:Pissed at us]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoting organizations]]
[[Category:TERFs]]
[[Category:Webshites]]

Categories: Anti-vaccination movement, British media, British politics, Pissed at us, Pseudoscience promoting organizations, TERFs, Webshites