Madeleine McCann - why are people so obsessed?

[Alice Purjorick]

The value of being a member of a forum such as this one which prides itself in allowing debate of differing viewpoints cannot be overestimated.
It is valued all the more if you have been on the receiving end of one which just does not tolerate diversity.

Innocently, I started posting around October 2013.

If you want to experience censorship and abuse of all kinds in the raw just nip over to a McCann board on Yahoo and post a mildly supportive comment regarding Madeleine' parents ... I guarantee the jaws of Hell will open for you.

Not only were we obliterated, our profiles were hacked, avi's taken and adulterated comments attributed to us.

It certainly was a learning curve of exactly the unscrupulous and wicked techniques adopted by those with a seemingly inbuilt antipathy to Madeleine and her family ... when one watches the counter on a post being thumbed down before one's eyes just as a demonstration ... it is instructive.  I stopped counting at 89.

I realised that people who were so intent on allowing no comment but their own to stand are a big problem.

So without the immediate attack I experienced and the nasty content of the posts which really sickened and disgusted me; if I hadn't followed links to mind numbing, intelligence insulting HiDeHo videos; I would probably have made a couple of posts and moved on, still blissfully ignorant.

So that is the root of my 'obsession' ... you could probably call it freedom of speech.

No-one has ever been allowed to dictate how I will think ... I make up my own mind based on the evidence available to me ... so if that is obsessive ... so be it.

Then of course we must not forget the sites that dislike people who are mildly critical of the McCanns.
You know the one that has been known to take screen grabs from here ?

[Mr Gray]

Then of course we must not forget the sites that dislike people who are mildly critical of the McCanns.
You know the one that has been known to take screen grabs from here ?

  no one is concerned about anyone being mildly critical of the McCanns...if you change mildly critical to continually insulting or perhaps outright libellous ...then your post might make some sense

[Brietta]

Then of course we must not forget the sites that dislike people who are mildly critical of the McCanns.
You know the one that has been known to take screen grabs from here ?

I've given an example of the genesis of what could be called my 'obsession'.

Obviously you don't feel quite up to sharing the motivation for what could be called yours.

[Brietta]

  no one is concerned about anyone being mildly critical of the McCanns...if you change mildly critical to continually insulting or perhaps outright libellous ...then your post might make some sense

If people confined themselves to being "mildly critical" ... perhaps there would be no obsessives of either hue; but even at that, nearly eight years of mild criticism could be expected to take its toll on the recipients, whoever they might be, but particularly the parents of a missing child who could be considered as having enough to contend with.

[Alice Purjorick]

  no one is concerned about anyone being mildly critical of the McCanns...if you change mildly critical to continually insulting or perhaps outright libellous ...then your post might make some sense

As usual you are in feet first without reading and understanding the post.
EBBOM

[Alice Purjorick]

I've given an example of the genesis of what could be called my 'obsession'.

Obviously you don't feel quite up to sharing the motivation for what could be called yours.

I have done several times. Some posters don't believe my reasons some thought I should be shown the door.
So here we go again:
My obsession is "why do people form gangs on spurious grounds just so they can try to make themselves look clever and be downright unpleasant to boot, toward anyone who is not in their gang?".
I never took much of an interest until the "libel trial" went to court then one day when The McCann Files site was down I looked over the fence in here. I could scarcely believe some of the stuff I read. Having always been argumentative I thought it might be fun to come in. It is. Simples.

[John]

Please note that thread has been edited and two new thread spun off from it.

[Alfred R Jones]

I have done several times. Some posters don't believe my reasons some thought I should be shown the door.
So here we go again:
My obsession is "why do people form gangs on spurious grounds just so they can try to make themselves look clever and be downright unpleasant to boot, toward anyone who is not in their gang?".
I never took much of an interest until the "libel trial" went to court then one day when The McCann Files site was down I looked over the fence in here. I could scarcely believe some of the stuff I read. Having always been argumentative I thought it might be fun to come in. It is. Simples.

Do you see yourself as very much above the gang thing then?  Because, like it or not, you do seem to have joined a bit of gang on here. 

[stephen25000]

Do you see yourself as very much above the gang thing then?  Because, like it or not, you do seem to have joined a bit of gang on here.

A gang Alfred.

That can easily be applied to certain mccann supporters on here.

[misty]

The value of being a member of a forum such as this one which prides itself in allowing debate of differing viewpoints cannot be overestimated.
It is valued all the more if you have been on the receiving end of one which just does not tolerate diversity.

Innocently, I started posting around October 2013.

If you want to experience censorship and abuse of all kinds in the raw just nip over to a McCann board on Yahoo and post a mildly supportive comment regarding Madeleine' parents ... I guarantee the jaws of Hell will open for you.

Not only were we obliterated, our profiles were hacked, avi's taken and adulterated comments attributed to us.

It certainly was a learning curve of exactly the unscrupulous and wicked techniques adopted by those with a seemingly inbuilt antipathy to Madeleine and her family ... when one watches the counter on a post being thumbed down before one's eyes just as a demonstration ... it is instructive.  I stopped counting at 89.

I realised that people who were so intent on allowing no comment but their own to stand are a big problem.

So without the immediate attack I experienced and the nasty content of the posts which really sickened and disgusted me; if I hadn't followed links to mind numbing, intelligence insulting HiDeHo videos; I would probably have made a couple of posts and moved on, still blissfully ignorant.

So that is the root of my 'obsession' ... you could probably call it freedom of speech.

No-one has ever been allowed to dictate how I will think ... I make up my own mind based on the evidence available to me ... so if that is obsessive ... so be it.

Great post, Brietta - eloquently put in the way I couldn't. 
I think some posters entirely miss the point that some of us work independently from the gang culture, preferring to formulate our own opinions outwith the one-dimensional viewpoints encouraged on most forums.

[Alice Purjorick]

Do you see yourself as very much above the gang thing then?  Because, like it or not, you do seem to have joined a bit of gang on here.

There is one person on here to my knowledge who shares my view. So we are a gang of two. Two more and we can reform the SDP.
Your point was Alf?

[stephen25000]

Great post, Brietta - eloquently put in the way I couldn't. 
I think some posters entirely miss the point that some of us work independently from the gang culture, preferring to formulate our own opinions outwith the one-dimensional viewpoints encouraged on most forums.

There are numerous parallels with certain mccann supporter forums, as you are well aware.

They don't debate, how could they,as they are closed forums. Blacksmith in particular, has made  several accurate analyses of their behaviour.

[misty]

There are numerous parallels with certain mccann supporter forums, as you are well aware.

They don't debate, how could they,as they are closed forums. Blacksmith in particular, has made  several accurate analyses of their behaviour.

Yes, I have read the contents of forums supporting each side, although I've never joined or contributed to them.
Has Blacksmith done an analysis of the behaviour of the sceptics on Twitter & F/Book? It's rather hard to find McCann supporters on those sites.

[Alfred R Jones]

There is one person on here to my knowledge who shares my view. So we are a gang of two. Two more and we can reform the SDP.
Your point was Alf?

What view is that Alice?  I was under the impression that there was more than two people on here who had a somewhat low opinion of the McCanns and who enjoyed making known their doubts.

[stephen25000]

Yes, I have read the contents of forums supporting each side, although I've never joined or contributed to them.
Has Blacksmith done an analysis of the behaviour of the sceptics on Twitter & F/Book? It's rather hard to find McCann supporters on those sites.

I do know he has attacked both ends of the spectrum

I have not read all of Blacksmith's posts by far, and venture onto twitter and facebook even less.

Twitter has largely become a cesspit.