Gransnet today....Just my opinion.

merlot, you're right. jingl often gave support when others didn't recognise the need.

She gave much more than she gets credit for and it's sad that so many seem to feel virtuous about criticising her style of posting.

I remember when she laid flowers on our behalf in Nice after the atrocity there on Bastille Day.

I think she was someone who felt passionately and said what she thought.

I'm afraid I've lost the thread of the thread what I meant Jamila in my first reply was to the suggestion that the advertisers only wanted gransnet to be bland. I was trying to say that it's my age group who in my opinion have the confidence to be feisty and make their sure their opinions are heard loud and clear. I obviously didn't put it very well.

I have said before and I reiterate that I appreciate how people feel but when you have been told to .... off when you dared to support another poster your view tends to be slanted.

Another example of how people react to others' comments.

I can understand why you felt hurt, annsixty, but when feelings are running high, I'd have thought you'd have known jingl well enough to know it was said in the heat of the moment.

It really does depend on how you "get" other Gnetters sometimes. I remember having a real laugh with Jbf over something. I took her reply as it was intended, in fun. A regular poster PM'd me that time to say don't take to heart what had been said. I hadn't, it was just a laugh. Hope that explains what I mean.
Could I also correct something I said earlier about mash not being thought provoking. How wrong was I! I have thought of little else for hours.

*Elegran] well said

OMG let's all elevate Jbf to sainthood, I'm sure the future of GN does not depend on her return.

Jing was not as harsh as she sometimes sounded. About 6 months ago I said something to her, can't remember what, on a thread. I really upset her and she said I had spoilt her holiday which she was on at the time. I PMd her and apologised as it was not my intention to cause her upset. I got a lovely reply and all was well

I realised then that perhaps Jing was an old softie at heart who just had the unfortunate knack of upsetting people.

No saint, any more than any of us, but not an arch-sinner either.

I see no problem with being controversial, the thing is do not get personal, and willing as I am to fight my corner, and I am always ready to get stuck in and have a heated discussion, with most people, at times, even a duel, but what I find more tedious than anything is when two people just start slanging each other of, or worse, still, argue as to whether they are slanging each other off; 'No,I am not', 'Yes, you are' 'Anyway you said something nasty about me first'

Surely the one thing we old dears ought to be able to show the young'uns is the skill of having a heated discussion without descending to personal jibes.

As to subjects, I thoroughly enjoy the contentious serious issues but who really wants a long trail of worthy subjects? Bread isn't bread without yeast, and Gransnet isn't Gransnet without some frivolity.

Jings told me to sod off more than once. I much prefer that to mealy-mouthed dare not say anything in case somebody's, anybody's feelings are hurt.

We cannot know what will hurt other people's feelings, especially on as large a 'sheet of paper' as Gransnet is, with the whole gamut of human characters that it contains.

Vive la différence and allow people to speak freely. It's the basis of a free and democratic society.

So, yeah, I'm fighting for her to have the right to tell me to sod off again if she thinks I've said something stupid enough to need sodding off.

Being told to sod off by the likes of Jingle is not 'personal'. It's an expression of irritation. Geraldine and Josie, two of the originals at HQ, understood that.

Looking back, and including threads like this, I think I have read more nasty posts about her than by her.

Quite.

If GNHQ decide to tell someone to sod off ban someone, they can do so, because it's their business. That's all there is to it, actually.

I'm sure JBF isn't the only person ever banned. E.g. why aren't we all falling about saying "Come back soon, all is forgiven".

Why am I even posting on this thread?

Good post merlotgran,

'Above all, we must remain bland!' One of my worst fears...that I become bland. F*ck that for a game of soldiers, eh?

Most of us came from that liberated generation. We worked as well as raising children and keeping a home. Some of us did that without a partner too. We are strong women, worldly wise and grateful that we were able to study too, educate ourselves in Universities or just the University of Life. We've faced it all....except war perhaps, but we've seen an incredible amount of changes in our lifetimes, and look at us now, typing away on our computers to communicate. I take my hat off to us. I raise my glass to us, Grannies one and all and incredible women.

Something I have learned in my 60+ years on this planet is that you silence us at your peril. If I want to swear I shall. Are e shockable? I doubt it. We've lived long enough to have heard it all. If moderators think we should be always pleasant, then I'd suggest they don't know us, or me, very well at all.

I don't feel the need to swear just for the sake of it, so I probably won't on-line, but please, get with the programme moderators at Gransnet. We are not grey haired old ladies and men who do not a lot but beam, grumble and crochet/mow the lawn ffs.

Bland? We're not, are we? Heaven forbid.

Addition and apology to the above post. Grandads join in too, don't they? They too are of a generation of men who know what it's all about. The world of grandparents is very different now from the one in which my Grandad and Granny lived.

Grannyknot - probably because no one really misses that particular poster. (Can't think why they would)

Does anyone know if Jingle would like to return, if allowed?

I don't know what went on behind the scenes, it must have been something really terrible to warrant a lifetime ban??

Good point, gknot, about it being a business.

We think that the forum is the centre-pin of the whole site, but then we would, wouldn't we?

I miss the posts from soontobe.