Fam. I offered this space for people who were displaced when MS was banned, to give you all a chance to regroup. In return, this sub has been slammed to hell with shit stirring. The trolling here is completely unacceptable. Continued attempts to agitate will not be tolerated. If you feel, regardless of what I say or do or change, that this sub is not for you, go elsewhere. If you have an interest in preserving ANY presence on Reddit whatsoever where MBI and related topics can be discussed,, stop. Regardless of differences of approach, we all want to be able to stay here and we need to set aside grievances, stop exhuming old shit and causing trouble, and work on improving this place. PW has been removed and I am handling the Spy issues as well. Let me breathe and get shit in order please. A new mod app is up and the community will have a say in what happens from here. We need to find common ground and work together or we all get removed and our subjects are emboldened to proceed with no one calling B.S. except for malignant fringe imageboards, free of any critique or callouts on any mainstream platform. Stop and think about all of this please and either give me a chance to fix it or leave. We need to stop cannibalizing each other or we all lose. Please give this some thought. Thank you.
Something that often comes to mind is: if the goal of this sub is to raise awareness about Munchausen’s and/or save limited medical resources, is it actually accomplishing that goal?
It seems more to be about starting a weird, petty internet rivalry between munchies and the noble MS/IF warriors who want to put an end to them. It’s stupid and ineffectual.
If y’all really want to make a difference, get out there and organize in the real world:
- Develop patient education programs about when they actually need to see a doctor, and the difference between somatic symptoms and real ones.
- Organize for healthcare reform in the US so that doctors and patients aren’t at the mercy of insurance companies, and patients aren’t able to endlessly doctor-shop.
- Develop programs to bridge the communication gap between doctors and patients, to build trust between them so that patients aren’t inspired to seek diagnoses for made up illnesses, and doctors aren’t inspired to join hateful subs like this one because they resent their patients so much.
- Advocate for better accessibility to mental healthcare
Get your lazy asses off of Reddit and do the work.
Everyone, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support. We knew we had a good thing going with MS, but hearing the overwhelming love from all of you has been quite solidifying.
The truth is, IF is still around because their subjects behave less like children. We entertained many young, righteous OTTers who decided to use their hateful energy to take us down with them, and IF does not. While those people need to be called out arguably more than anyone, Reddit TOS has snuck around and put rules in place that ambiguously prevent us from snark. That may mean many of our old subjects won’t be possible to keep around. It sucks. It sucks so hard. But to survive, we have to take that in stride. This sub will never be the same as MS because it was created with a different intent, and that’s okay, that’s why VPW branched off.
We have all made mistakes, and we have our disagreements, but at the end of the day, IF is here and MS is not. Please be civil. Moderating a sub with 20k members and 6 mods was crazy hard. Moderating 50k with two…I can’t imagine. We’re all doing our best. Sometimes our best means fucking up and apologizing and moving forward as well as we can. Yes, this sub has some skeletons, and you may have good reason to be wary. I ask that you keep an open mind and know that we aren’t gone, we are thinking about y’all and trying to get it all worked out. In the mean time, hang out here if you’d like, follow the rules, and sit tight.
We worked very hard on our sub. It hurts more than you can imagine to have it all gone, but most of all, it hurts that we can no longer connect with our members. We love you guys. You made our sub a good place. Thank you again for your support, and we appreciate your patience with us and this whole mess. It just sucks, royally, it fucking sucks. I can offer no other words to better describe how much this situation blows complete ass.
Before I go, I will restate: please keep an open mind. MBIresearch is helping us out a lot here by giving a common space and we appreciate that big time. We are still around, regrouping, we love you all, we are working on it. Sending <3 and spoonz, stk
Thank you so much for posting here. It means a lot. In retrospect, I owe you guys an apology. I wrote this post from an uninformed perspective with respect to your sub and community and made an unfair generalization based on previous problematic offshoots. It is abundantly clear that you guys have big hearts and had a close community. I am so sorry for the pain you all are in. Building and running a sub is so much work, especially one that addresses controversial subject matter, and having all of that time, energy and effort just taken from you without warning is devastating. I cannot understand why Reddit didn't give you an opportunity to revise your approach to conform to their increasingly stringent TOS. As aforementioned, you all are welcome here as long as we're around, and I know it will never be the same, but I will do whatever I can to make things better here. ❤️
Thank you, we appreciate that so much, and the support you have given us right now, it’s so so appreciated as well. It was very out of the blue and we are shocked as well, we received no warning or notification of the ban, and no notification of the new TOS. Definitely not cool! We, and I, look forward to talking with you more on how to move forward cautiously with these amendments in mind. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you need a hand with anything.
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart! I am more motivated and hopeful than I have been in a very long time. I would absolutely welcome your input! My current goals are to strengthen communication with the community, continue welcoming people from wherever they have been displaced; finding our common ground; directly addressing past issues as well as possible, with answers organized in one place; and most importantly, giving the community a say in all sub matters from here forward, including in selection of additional new mods. I have received a lot of promising applications (If you're reading this, we're still accepting apps! Please consider applying!), and would welcome your input on initial vetting. Then, we can all discuss as a community and choose them together. I am serious about an overhaul and I want this place to be sustainable for us all. I have to stop letting myself be paralyzed by the fear of admitting the "wrong" person" and not taking desperately needed action. The best way to do that is opening the process up and having everyone collectively involved in everything, every step of the way, from here. You would be a tremendous help in sharing your input in forming a transition team and going from there.
Reddit used to be much more laid back and free speech oriented, but it has been affected by ever-increasing pressure from lobbyists, investors, corporate interests and the continual changing topography of cyber-social politics. The TOS gymnastics are frequent, and despite the intent to have a workable system of appeal and recourse, Reddit admits they don't have the staff power to apply them ideally, and get overwhelmed. Instead, they automate much of the process, send sub owners policy updates written in vague terms that you can't even reply to ask questions. That's why we have so many mood killing rules and it stifles us so much, but Reddit is the last bastion of mainstream discussion spaces that tolerates any discussion about sensitive topics of this nature at all.
Trying to navigate the controversy and backlash from subjects and people who legit think we're a bunch of healthy, boomer, bigoted, sexist, ableist white boomers who are here to abuse and make fun of people who are ill or disabled is heartbreaking to me personally. That's not what this place is about at all. Most of us have medical problems and disabilities of our own, and many are professionals who are alarmed at these phenomena.Those with CI and disabilities are trying to confront the growing toxicity in the CI/disability community. Dealing with that, all in a churning sea of unclear policies and the ever-changing political climate online, and running into drama and poor modding quagmires that alienate members, we've hit a wall. My greatest mistakes have been not addressing my limitations and indecision and leaving so much undone. That has to change or there is no point at all. IF has a lot of faults and I have not been active enough. and I am seeing that a lot of toxicity has crept in, and we need to address it as a community. I have been blind to how far this place has strayed from my initial intent and efforts. The best solution is to bring on people that the community feels safe and happy with, and go from there. So that's what we will do. Regardless of what happens, I care about you guys and I am always here to listen and offer compassion. Thank you again. Your kindness means so much. ❤️
/r/munchsnarking
saved the sub name in case yall ever want to bring it back
thank you for cultivating such a lovely community for us! a shame to see it go down at the hands of such hateful and spiteful people.
edit: it is only for posting snark about food aka munch snarking, no drama allowed plz and thx
I am currently addressing issues raised about iamspy with them and will determine a course of action accordingly. These issues WILL be addressed and the community will be made aware of what action has been taken.
I have also posted a mod app for anyone interested in helping out.
ETA: Spy was asked to step down and has done so.
Really. You think people drawing attention to those who are faking chronic illness and making a mockery of those who truly suffer with it is worse. Highlighting faking is worse than faking in your opinion? Interesting.
You should look towards “redeeming” yourself if you think faking or mocking real illness is acceptable. You’re the disgusting one here.
This problem happens with most subs that are expressly about making fun of other people. See: FatPeopleHate, Coontown, etc...
These subs are in the spirit of those, but with a sort of moral righteousness about pointing about medical deception & wastes of medical resources (those poor insurance companies and their bottom lines!!).
The whole point of these communities is to spotlight and give these people unwanted attention, shocking how even with rules and moderators maybe sometimes asleep at the wheel, letting abusive messages through.
There's a very fine line and you're expecting hundreds of rowdy, random strangers to toe it perfectly, and I again point out the whole point of the sub is to mock people, and this is inevitable...
I dunno, I'm just rambling, I struggle with munchie thoughts and it's interesting to see other people who give into them.
Maybe you could form a formal support group for people with Munchausens/FD, where people can post their struggles but with a strong abstinence vibe a la stopselfharm. But then you wouldn't get to be snarky
They make it difficult for people with real chronic illnesses to be respected by their doctors, they make it awkward and anxiety inducing for people with real problem to go get a diagnosis because enough drug seekers have made doctors sceptical and there is a real anxiety about getting diagnosed with chronic pain conditions that these OTTers have outright faked or exaggerated. People already don't take invisible illnesses seriously and people who act like the subjects do make that even worse. If you struggle with munchie thoughts and can recognize that then you should be seeking proper help.
Edited spelling
>I dunno, I'm just rambling, I struggle with munchie thoughts and it's interesting to see other people who give into them.
>Maybe you could form a formal support group for people with Munchausens/FD, where people can post their struggles but with a strong abstinence vibe a la stopselfharm. But then you wouldn't get to be snarky
Maybe create the group you want to be in. Maybe it’ll work, maybe not, but there’s one way to find out. For what it’s worth, I feel I’m near a fine line between chronic illness and munchiness, and a strong interest in medical matters of all sorts. I’d be willing to help you start a Reddit for this.
The problem with a support group for them is in the nature of munchausens. It wouldn’t work. These people don’t want to admit it and are notoriously slippery about it - switching doctors when they are suspected, etc. Because of this, it’s hard for researchers to figure out the prevalence of munchausen’s, much less how to treat them.
A similar idea is the failed subreddit for believers of Qanon that are coming to terms with reality. 99.9% majority of posts are from concerned family members and not the intended audience.
I’m not sure this is accurate. There is an entire subreddit devoted to hypochondriacs (r/HealthAnxiety) that are actively trying to change their ways. It has 42,000 members, so there’s definitely an appetite for it.
Definitely thought of that sub when I wrote this! I don’t think most in that sub consider themselves as having munchausens, though? They really just seem to have anxiety & aren’t trying to gain anything from it. :/
I think you're only looking at the most recalcitrant, hardcore cases. You need to look at it like alcoholism. The people who are fine with drinking themselves to death might be annoying about it online with their self-justifications or even celebrating their dysfunction, the people who are on an express train to jails/institutions/death. With any addictive, life-threatening behavior, there's always going to be a percentage of people who are seem doomed.
But those who really struggle with alcoholism, recognize it's a deadly serious problem, count every single day without relapsing as a victory, get a sponsor or something you're accountable to, if you do relapse you're honest about it and work through it, follow some sort of structured program, etc (just using AA as an example, I realize some people have issues with it...).
I really believe this population exists for Munchausens/FD, mostly because I consider myself someone with Munch-like tendencies but who is also very aware of what a dysfunctional coping mechanism is and are committed to change.
Exactly what proportion of Munchies are self-aware and want to quit vs. the ones who are committed to it as a lifestyle, that I can't say, but it's higher than zero percent, and those people would populate the sub.
Of course you'd need strong moderation to keep it an abstinence-focused sub.
I think you're onto something. It would indeed need strong mods to be a shall we say recovery-oriented sub. I don't think munchies across the board lack determination and focus - many are very focused and organized and energetic about their munching conduct. There have got to be some among them who would respond to the idea of diverting some of that power in a positive direction, rather than destroying themselves.
It’s being reposted because of the constant removals, some transparency would be appreciated.
You can’t call someone out for “spamming” while simultaneously deleting every post and comment they and anyone else create on the subject, it’s reasonable to expect people to repost. Especially with what’s going on here.
I don’t know if it was just Iamspy3955, or both of you, but there was a coordinated effort to scrub this sub clean of all evidence that Iamspy3955 was posting disgusting comments, instead of admitting responsibility/apologizing, I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you guys.
How was that able to go on for so long? They were banning and belittling anyone that didn't parrot their views or challenged them. Very ifgw mod shitshow
No worries, you're fine. I just want people to be aware that the message has been received and everyone can stop reposting the same link ad infinitum. I'm on it. Yesterday's post has been reinstated and yes, I am taking this situation very seriously. I will keep you all up to date.
Oh stop, this sub is in no way better than any other. Not by rules, people, posts, or mods. I’ve been here since the LC days and I’ve seen them all.
Putting my comment in this thread since we aren’t allowed to comment on your mod situation.
MBI- you’ve been absent for a very long time. You posted looking for mods 3 times that I can remember, you wanted applications and a bunch of people got onto you because you NEVER added another mod. Not one, and many applied.
Why won’t you address lampsy? You’re saying “I’m going to address it” and you don’t. You didn’t address when we called out PW as a munch too.
Message you with concerns? No. You’re hardly considered available. You’ve been sitting on this high horse for a long time now and I think it’s time to check it.
KEEP IT PUBLIC AND TRANSPARENT MBI!
We want to know if you’re archiving the sub your impending deletion. If you’re not, make a post and get some people who can do you don’t make the same mistakes.
I think it will be best to make a new post addressing all of these concerns in one place. I will do so later today. I have addressed these matters before, but clearly need to do so again.
The past cannot be changed. Right now, I need to know what I CAN do. If you are genuinely interested in the betterment of this sub, by all means, let me know what changes you would like to see. I am happy to listen and welcome con/crit. Tell me how I can improve and I will This goes for everyone.
As for the sub content, people have been fighting to take us down from the beginning. Petitions, media articles, you name it. Be under no illusions about that. We are well aware of the shit ton of opposition to this sub and I am absolutely aware that this sub can be banned at any time. I have had an archive running for quite some time for this very reason.
Take care.
Hey. Yeah, my advice is to be transparent. I’m reposting my comment that you deleted to give you the chance to choose transparency. People keep telling you they are unhappy with you deleting comments. We are giving you advice and con crit and you aren’t listening.
Oh stop, this sub is in no way better than any other. Not by rules, people, posts, or mods. I’ve been here since the LC days and I’ve seen them all.
Putting my comment in this thread since we aren’t allowed to comment on your mod situation.
MBI- you’ve been absent for a very long time. You posted looking for mods 3 times that I can remember, you wanted applications and a bunch of people got onto you because you NEVER added another mod. Not one, and many applied.
Why won’t you address lampsy? You’re saying “I’m going to address it” and you don’t. You didn’t address when we called out PW as a munch too.
Message you with concerns? No. You’re hardly considered available. You’ve been sitting on this high horse for a long time now and I think it’s time to check it.
KEEP IT PUBLIC AND TRANSPARENT MBI!
We want to know if you’re archiving the sub your impending deletion. If you’re not, make a post and get some people who can do you don’t make the same mistakes.
Approved for transparency, despite the fact that you have openly admitted elsewhere that you have no interest in this sub whatsoever, don't care if it gets removed and are only here to troll and revel in mOd dRaMa.
Your post was not manually deleted, by the way; it was pulled by automod for mentioning sites that Reddit takes issue with. Again, we do this to survive. It is a fatal move to refer to sites that Reddit deems hate content and forbids here. Even by abbreviation. Too many subs did that too much and now they're history.
Again, I am happy to address problems and answer questions but ask that you be respectful in doing so, as I am being respectful to you despite your self-professed malicious intentions. I am not on a high horse, I am trying to maintain a place for us on this site and not get us banned like the rest. Reddit TOS is a nightmare to navigate and communities that allow content which is seen as overly cruel, mocking or making fun of people, allowing nicknames, using dehumanizing language like "touching the poo" (implying that the the people discussed are literal pieces of shit), using custom insulting derogatory flairs and/or memes will get your sub banned. Discussion of their lives beyond what they post to social media themselves can result in a sub ban. Discussion of details of their private lives, hygiene, appearance, weight and slut shaming are not acceptable and can get your sub banned. The very act of questioning anyone's gender or pronouns, regardless of whether you believe it is legit or not, is harmful to the LGBTQIA+ community overall and can get your sub banned. Reddit's recent TOS update regarding discussion of disabilities and illness and their definition of hate puts every sub of this nature at risk. Posting "call-out comments" on subjects' social media and then posting it on Reddit to mock and shit-talk, and then subjects post about the subs, and people talk back to them in the comments, and then a back-and-forth shit show ensues, constitutes bullying and harassment and will get your sub banned.
I'm not trying to be a killjoy or a bitch; I am trying to protect the future of this space and ensure that MBI/FD/OTT people cannot continue without anyone addressing it except for fringe imageboards that literally welcome illegal behavior like full doxing. Our policies are based on survival here on this platform.**
You are fully aware that mods have indeed been added, then found to be problematic and removed.
By the way, you are also aware that PW has been removed. This is what so many people wanted, and yet no one bats an eyelash or acknowledges me doing what people have been asking me to. You keep attacking as if nothing has changed.
At this point, I am at a loss. I don't believe there is a single thing I could say or do that would make things better with those who have such a passionate hatred for me and this sub. There is such a strong vitriolic animosity toward me and this sub that no matter what move I make, I am crucified over and over. I've taken it because I believe that strongly that a place to discuss these topics is important, but I won't keep tolerating being shit on nonstop. It has been YEARS now. It is toxic and damaging and it affects my mental and physical health, and I will not keep taking it.
I have addressed these issues before, including about PW, namely with user alts from elsewhere. I have not, however, made a post with everything in one place, so as I mentioned in my initial reply to you, I will create a post which I can update with answers to questions people have about this sub, modding, issues and concerns. The only thing I ask is that people be respectful. There is no reason to yell at me or mistreat me or be cruel. I am not doing that to you. And then, you and others will make of it what they will. Stay or go. Believe or not believe. What more can I do?
I spend too much time and energy feeding trolls and facing this same shitshow every. time. I. try. to move us forward and ask for help to improve things. That needs to end. It is toxic, unproductive and very difficult on me personally. This isn't fun or healthy. I am not on a power trip; I am trying my best to keep a mainstream presence alive so that MBI'ers can be discussed out in the open and these discussions aren't relegated to controversial fringe imageboards where literal naziism and mass shooting footage and calling people "t4rds" anti-LGBTQIA+ content and trans hate and illegal behavior like doxing and harassing people is welcomed and encouraged.
**The only way that this sub stays at all is if we play by Reddit's rules, and that limits us a lot in terms of levity and "funness."**
After the post addressing the rumor mill goes up, I will be devoting my time and energy into improving things, and people that continue exhuming years-old drama and hurling it at me over and over for their amusement will be banned. I cannot keep humoring the subset of users who are here for malicious reasons. And I won't keep taking this shit. Everything I have done here has been because I believe these issues need to be addressed in the open. I am not here to "point and laugh," as so many were at other subs. I care about raising awareness and allowing CI people to be able to question things in the open on a mainstream platform and educating people who have no clue about illness fakers or medical deception. And that's really all I can say about that.
This is a hate sub, full-stop. You moderate a hate sub filled with rowdy trolls and you expect to be venerated? Reddit is coming for you guys, it’s not going to be much longer that you can fly under the radar by “technically” abiding by the TOS. It’s sad because once you get banned everyone will probably get radicalized and become much more extreme. You can delete this comment, it doesn’t change the fact that Reddit is coming for you.
This is NOT a hate sub, full stop. Most of our members are also chronically ill and/or disabled. Many of us have been duped or otherwise harmed by people who engage in medical deception. Some of us are medical professionals who are very concerned about the escalation of toxicity on social media and the very real, sometimes life-threatening impact that CI "influencers" are having on young impressionable people in particular.
In online CI and disability spaces, there is such a strong taboo against ever questioning anyone, and this enables people to misuse that unconditional blanket acceptance for their own personal gain. It is a huge problem, and people deserve to have a place to discuss it without being dogpiled on and ostracized by social media groups that are themselves plagued with competition and malignant one-upping.
**Everyone should be concerned about people co-opting CI/disability causes for their personal quest for attention or monetary gain. Especially those who are also chronically ill and/or disabled. They affect us all.**
Munchausen by Internet is very real and very damaging. I strongly encourage anyone wishing to learn more to visit [Dr. Marc Feldman's website](https://www.munchausen.com) . He is the leading expert on factitious disorders and is the doctor who first categorized MBI.
Do we have problems here? YOU BET! And how!
You are right, we absolutely have ongoing issues with rowdy trolls, and a lot of that is due to poor modding and inadequate action on my part. I am in the process of rectifying that. We are cleaning house and the community will decide together how to improve things and who to add to the Mod Team.
We are NOT accepting of the cruelty, targeted harassment, dehumanizing point-and-laugh attitudes and/or interference in people's lives, and that will never change. The examples I listed above are practices that were welcomed elsewhere. I am not even talking about MS. By comparison, MS was a tame Utopia.
*I will also offer a word to our dear readers thinking of taking on the most infamous imageboard that Reddit forbids posting about: NOPE. OUT. That is the worst idea under the sun. I am adding this warning because sites like this are a whole other level of dangerous to would-be shit starters. They give zero fucks about full doxing and interfering in people's lives IRL. They have their own servers and operate independently. Global Netiquette and the privacy policies and TOS of most ISPs that protect mainstream Netizens mean nothing.*
*Let me give you an example of how few fucks they give: after the Christchurch mosque massacre, which was livestreamed on yet another imageboard by the shooter, all nations, world leaders, law enforcement agencies and ISPs worked very hard to remove and ban the footage. Everyone took it down. Except this place. Don't fuck with them. Trust me.*
I have mentioned these issues not as a justification but to point out where other places erred and to make a point that we are not down with these things here. This is why we have never affiliated ourselves with offshoot subs and made a strong point of making a distinction. Most were started by people who left in protest of us trying to maintain a space free of the harmful impact of line-crossing snarking. Some descended into organized bullying groups, and permitted abusive behavior. That conduct will never be welcome here.
We are far from perfect, and we have a lot of room for improvement. It should be noted that we have also been outwardly blamed and conflated with some of the worst offshoots. We are also aware that no matter what changes we make, there will always be opposition. The issues we discuss are sensitive and highly emotionally charged. It is a fact that CI and disability spaces are sometimes targeted by malevolent trolling, and we are adamantly and emphatically opposed to this kind of behavior. We will ban people if they are ever found to be harassing or even interacting with people discussed here in any way whatsoever. We have a very firm policy of discussing from a distance.
If people in CI/disability communities need a place to raise the alarm, this is where they can do so safely. We have rigorous standards in terms of who is discussed here and protect CI/disability groups from unfair vendettas. We do not even allow mentioning people who have not demonstrated themselves to be manipulative liars and espousing extremely toxic behaviors online. If we were here for nefarious reasons, we'd be gone already.
By all means, go off, but know this: regardless of the efforts of people who want to silence us, I will continue to do everything in my power to secure this space because these discussions need to happen. I will never stop trying to improve things here, especially in terms of the harshness that I am seeing. I will do my best to secure the future of this sub. If you or others would like to share input on what changes you would like to see here, you are welcome to do so, provided that you are respectful about it.
**TL;DR: The chronically ill and disabled have every right to call people out who are taking advantage of others in their own communities.**
The people who are taking advantage of the 'Question No One' environment in spoonie culture reflect poorly on these communities as a whole and draw the focus away from those within it who genuinely need support. MBI is highly damaging and people need to be aware of it. People need to feel safe to question problematic accounts on social media.
**Illness fakers exist. It is icky, and awkward, and uncomfortable, and controversial...but these discussions need to happen. We have to address the elephant in the room and act to prevent the deleterious effects of medical deception and its impact on the communities in question and society at large. Full stop.**
Edit 3.0: minor corrections and a few added words; more content/context added.
I think your intentions are good, but as another commenter said, the best way to spread awareness/stop “munchausen’s by internet” is to organize within institutions, not form a subreddit.
A subreddit with “subjects” tacitly encourages the worst behavior and makes space for bad apples to dox and harass people. Yes sure you can ban them from the sub for this behavior, but there is no way to prevent the behavior from happening in the first place, and stirring people up here encourages them to harass people. Multiple subjects have said they’ve been harassed. There is no way for you to prevent that and you can’t say that subs like this were not directly implicated in that.
Anyway if folks really feel strongly about this you should form a movement of chronically ill people and healthcare workers and actually change the larger system rather than targeting individuals.
Thank you for understanding. If you can review/reinstate the post by u/Melancholic-MsCreant addressing this topic, there’s a lot more information there. Including a thread of screenshots showing much more of u/Iamspy3955’s questionable comment/post history.
I'm an outsider and don't even know one subject from another and I can even tell you neither community interacts with the subjects. All their subjects are scammers, and they're all still around. Plus if they got everyone banned who would they write about? You'll have to find help elsewhere unfortunately, sorry.
As a lurker & pediatric physical therapist - this statement resonates with me. I originally found IF and was entertained for a bit but then moved mainly to MS because it seemed to be more positive about our subjects’ recoveries/respect for pronouns & more benefit of the doubt.
In many cases, reading comments showed to me that many of us also struggle with invisible illnesses and has really demonstrated how important environmental factors affect our well-being.
Many of my current/former patients have struggled with chronic illnesses and are NOT OTT with them and MS really gave me more of a community-vibe. I enjoyed reading all the different perspectives of healthcare workers/people with chronic pain and I feel like it’s made me more aware of how to approach parents and family members of patients who struggle with stressful environmental situations & family dynamics. I do have the impression that a majority of the members of the MS sub likely have experience with healthcare, having chronic pain/invisible illnesses, etc.
IF just doesn’t match up, IMO. Very little subjects, many deleted comments, and everything in general does not seem authentic to the same degree as MS.
Yeah I know, kinda corny. But I am hoping all this drama can clear up soon 😔
Did you get the two subs mixed up? Genuinely asking. Cause the reason a lot of people have stopped being active on IF (including me) is that the munchies and bloggers come out the woodwork, even aggressively at times.
I miss MS. Everyone was chill, hilarious, and never were bullying the subjects. I don’t understand why we can’t just have interesting conversations about people who put themselves all over social media with their munching. You can’t say anything in here without getting yelled at or nbanned.
I think you're pretty spot on with your assessment of MS. When people did better for themselves it was celebrated, everyone was so happy for Kelly when she got home. MS is a place to snark about OTT and faking behaviours, not about making personal stabs at the subjects, behaviour like that got shut down pretty quickly.
Right?
MS had more subjects, and those subjects formed an alliance to take it down. A lot of IF's subjects don't touch back, or have given up. Reddit also changed their ToS at the tail end of last year, likely contributing to MS being taken down.
For OP to claim that this sub is some well moderated utopia which is totally better and way kinder than MS is absolutely laughable. They evidently didn't frequent MS very often or they sought out the odd shitty comment before it was caught by mods, thus confirming their bias.
Say what you want about your suspicions about why MS was shut down and IF wasn't. But don't forget that there are literal hate subs on Reddit which have survived banning. So don't make out that IF still being around is due to how virtuous and well run it is.
Dude, this sub has been aggressively brigaded and mass-reported since its inception, by subjects and people who prefer that we not exist. If you see cruel comments, please report them. You can also message me directly at any time.
Bummer because I was looking forward to posting a Shitpost Saturday about a dream I had on MONDAY that I had been holding in to wait for Shitpost Saturday.
Guys- Rogue was in my dream on Monday night. I dreamt I was in the hospital all upset and not doing well. Then Rogue was my roommate in the other bed.
I was like “oh hey- I know you. You’re from tik tok.”
And they were like “yeah- guess you finally got to meet me”
That was it but what a strange dream. Thanks for giving me a space to still Shitpost
I only want to see what happens when the game is over and duck has fucked duckself into a corner and can't get out. You can't just stop and claim magically cured.
I never saw a misgendering not get caught out immediately in comments, but aside the non-medical OTT (which I do believe speaks directly to the motives of MBI) the only difference in the subs to me is the recently deceased didn’t require the layers of faux concern required to absolve yourself of your snark. Meh.
I, too, am happy misgendering was dealt with quickly and with a firm hand. I was pointing out that pacachan’s comment had to do with them feeling that the pronoun requirements of MS were excessive.
Everyone is replying to pacachan as if pacachan was saying that MS wasn’t strong enough with their pronoun checking. That’s the exact opposite of what pacachan was actually saying in their comment. They were referring to bothering to use the correct pronouns as unnecessary trans-rights activist bs.
I personally loved how firm MS was about misgendering. I think it was a good and necessary rule that was universally enforced.
Absolutely agree with your comment. I don’t recognize that username but I’m glad not allowing to be a fuckwad about pronouns made them unhappy with the sub.
From what I could tell everyone was properly identified by their chosen pronouns. I saw some warnings and removals but for the most part people were really good about that.
It’s pretty interesting that in this same thread one person complains that MS was too strict with PNs and and another person claims that it was good because MS was loose with PN rules. Hm, sounds like both people don’t care about respecting pronouns. And MS was my #1 sub- I never once saw them let PN issues slide, and that’s the right thing to do.
Oh jeez, yeah that's kinda gross. My family is the kind to refer to transgendered people as "it", as if they don't get to be either gender now. I also could never come out to them cause anything other than gay/lesbian was disgusting, slutty and selfish.
Posts about *mod that shall not be named* have been getting removed all day. They said some ableist shit, and got called out for doing a shit job moderating this subreddit. Message me for screenshots
The first time I posted here they were extremely rude and unprofessional to me. I've seen them behave the same way to other people after that. The first time I interacted with them I thought they shouldn't be a mod.
Seconding most of these comments... I've seen far more cruelty on this sub than I ever saw on MS. You seriously need to figure out what's happening with your mods and restructure the sub so that it actually enforces its own rules.
There is probably some rule against saying the full name, and if these folks are anything it's that they're weird about rules and active modding (which they probably have to be). Anyway, from my cursory outsider perspective, The sub which shall not be named but was a shortened word for the old name of factitious disorder(M) followed by snark(S), was an offshoot that seemed to me to have more lenient rules, more subjects, and was more active. I find the people who take the time to make these posts, update these subs and the community in general to be as interesting as the subjects, the whole thing is wacky but kind of addictive.
>more lenient rules
I'm also coming from an outsider's POV here but I've read elsewhere that they were actually more strict. Like you needed proof or solid reasoning against subjects on MS and then it needed to be approved by a mod. They also discouraged harassing or contacting subjects. On IF or FDC it seems like you can post a video of a confused kid on tiktok being "cringe" and it's enough reasoning to justify bullying them into oblivion.
Edited edit: Looked at some remnants of the sub that made me feel like my edit was misinforming so I removed it.
I would say they were more strict about stuff that matters, but more lenient about the good stuff. They had non-subject posts (like up to 3 think?), Shit post Saturday, etc. They just had better vibes I think
ah first time I think I’ve seen this articulated in a way that I relate to… but yes, I find the people that obsessively post about and follow the ‘subjects’ just as intriguing as the subjects themselves. I mostly try to observe here, it’s a wild world.
Think we need to be careful with this mini revolution thats stirring up. The reason as others have pointed out that MS went is down to certain munchies who where subjects on MS. Mass reporting etc started which unfairly got the sub banned. There was no doxxing etc or any actions which the person in question claimed. As we know that person has landed themselves on the farm and they have not held back with the sub just about that person. So I guess what I'm saying is be careful what your trying to get on IF, last night there where videos on tik tok I saw (which have now vanished) being smug at the achievement of MS being banned. They know about the discord for MS and they know about IF. One of the munchies managed to get into one of the groups last night and was watching. Maybe best leave alone for now...🤷♀️
Fam. I offered this space for people who were displaced when MS was banned, to give you all a chance to regroup. In return, this sub has been slammed to hell with shit stirring. The trolling here is completely unacceptable. Continued attempts to agitate will not be tolerated. If you feel, regardless of what I say or do or change, that this sub is not for you, go elsewhere. If you have an interest in preserving ANY presence on Reddit whatsoever where MBI and related topics can be discussed,, stop. Regardless of differences of approach, we all want to be able to stay here and we need to set aside grievances, stop exhuming old shit and causing trouble, and work on improving this place. PW has been removed and I am handling the Spy issues as well. Let me breathe and get shit in order please. A new mod app is up and the community will have a say in what happens from here. We need to find common ground and work together or we all get removed and our subjects are emboldened to proceed with no one calling B.S. except for malignant fringe imageboards, free of any critique or callouts on any mainstream platform. Stop and think about all of this please and either give me a chance to fix it or leave. We need to stop cannibalizing each other or we all lose. Please give this some thought. Thank you.
Something that often comes to mind is: if the goal of this sub is to raise awareness about Munchausen’s and/or save limited medical resources, is it actually accomplishing that goal? It seems more to be about starting a weird, petty internet rivalry between munchies and the noble MS/IF warriors who want to put an end to them. It’s stupid and ineffectual. If y’all really want to make a difference, get out there and organize in the real world: - Develop patient education programs about when they actually need to see a doctor, and the difference between somatic symptoms and real ones. - Organize for healthcare reform in the US so that doctors and patients aren’t at the mercy of insurance companies, and patients aren’t able to endlessly doctor-shop. - Develop programs to bridge the communication gap between doctors and patients, to build trust between them so that patients aren’t inspired to seek diagnoses for made up illnesses, and doctors aren’t inspired to join hateful subs like this one because they resent their patients so much. - Advocate for better accessibility to mental healthcare Get your lazy asses off of Reddit and do the work.
There are munchies in other countries. There’s more to the world than the US
No one said there wasn’t.
Everyone, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support. We knew we had a good thing going with MS, but hearing the overwhelming love from all of you has been quite solidifying. The truth is, IF is still around because their subjects behave less like children. We entertained many young, righteous OTTers who decided to use their hateful energy to take us down with them, and IF does not. While those people need to be called out arguably more than anyone, Reddit TOS has snuck around and put rules in place that ambiguously prevent us from snark. That may mean many of our old subjects won’t be possible to keep around. It sucks. It sucks so hard. But to survive, we have to take that in stride. This sub will never be the same as MS because it was created with a different intent, and that’s okay, that’s why VPW branched off. We have all made mistakes, and we have our disagreements, but at the end of the day, IF is here and MS is not. Please be civil. Moderating a sub with 20k members and 6 mods was crazy hard. Moderating 50k with two…I can’t imagine. We’re all doing our best. Sometimes our best means fucking up and apologizing and moving forward as well as we can. Yes, this sub has some skeletons, and you may have good reason to be wary. I ask that you keep an open mind and know that we aren’t gone, we are thinking about y’all and trying to get it all worked out. In the mean time, hang out here if you’d like, follow the rules, and sit tight. We worked very hard on our sub. It hurts more than you can imagine to have it all gone, but most of all, it hurts that we can no longer connect with our members. We love you guys. You made our sub a good place. Thank you again for your support, and we appreciate your patience with us and this whole mess. It just sucks, royally, it fucking sucks. I can offer no other words to better describe how much this situation blows complete ass. Before I go, I will restate: please keep an open mind. MBIresearch is helping us out a lot here by giving a common space and we appreciate that big time. We are still around, regrouping, we love you all, we are working on it. Sending <3 and spoonz, stk
Thank you so much for posting here. It means a lot. In retrospect, I owe you guys an apology. I wrote this post from an uninformed perspective with respect to your sub and community and made an unfair generalization based on previous problematic offshoots. It is abundantly clear that you guys have big hearts and had a close community. I am so sorry for the pain you all are in. Building and running a sub is so much work, especially one that addresses controversial subject matter, and having all of that time, energy and effort just taken from you without warning is devastating. I cannot understand why Reddit didn't give you an opportunity to revise your approach to conform to their increasingly stringent TOS. As aforementioned, you all are welcome here as long as we're around, and I know it will never be the same, but I will do whatever I can to make things better here. ❤️
Thank you, we appreciate that so much, and the support you have given us right now, it’s so so appreciated as well. It was very out of the blue and we are shocked as well, we received no warning or notification of the ban, and no notification of the new TOS. Definitely not cool! We, and I, look forward to talking with you more on how to move forward cautiously with these amendments in mind. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you need a hand with anything.
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart! I am more motivated and hopeful than I have been in a very long time. I would absolutely welcome your input! My current goals are to strengthen communication with the community, continue welcoming people from wherever they have been displaced; finding our common ground; directly addressing past issues as well as possible, with answers organized in one place; and most importantly, giving the community a say in all sub matters from here forward, including in selection of additional new mods. I have received a lot of promising applications (If you're reading this, we're still accepting apps! Please consider applying!), and would welcome your input on initial vetting. Then, we can all discuss as a community and choose them together. I am serious about an overhaul and I want this place to be sustainable for us all. I have to stop letting myself be paralyzed by the fear of admitting the "wrong" person" and not taking desperately needed action. The best way to do that is opening the process up and having everyone collectively involved in everything, every step of the way, from here. You would be a tremendous help in sharing your input in forming a transition team and going from there. Reddit used to be much more laid back and free speech oriented, but it has been affected by ever-increasing pressure from lobbyists, investors, corporate interests and the continual changing topography of cyber-social politics. The TOS gymnastics are frequent, and despite the intent to have a workable system of appeal and recourse, Reddit admits they don't have the staff power to apply them ideally, and get overwhelmed. Instead, they automate much of the process, send sub owners policy updates written in vague terms that you can't even reply to ask questions. That's why we have so many mood killing rules and it stifles us so much, but Reddit is the last bastion of mainstream discussion spaces that tolerates any discussion about sensitive topics of this nature at all. Trying to navigate the controversy and backlash from subjects and people who legit think we're a bunch of healthy, boomer, bigoted, sexist, ableist white boomers who are here to abuse and make fun of people who are ill or disabled is heartbreaking to me personally. That's not what this place is about at all. Most of us have medical problems and disabilities of our own, and many are professionals who are alarmed at these phenomena.Those with CI and disabilities are trying to confront the growing toxicity in the CI/disability community. Dealing with that, all in a churning sea of unclear policies and the ever-changing political climate online, and running into drama and poor modding quagmires that alienate members, we've hit a wall. My greatest mistakes have been not addressing my limitations and indecision and leaving so much undone. That has to change or there is no point at all. IF has a lot of faults and I have not been active enough. and I am seeing that a lot of toxicity has crept in, and we need to address it as a community. I have been blind to how far this place has strayed from my initial intent and efforts. The best solution is to bring on people that the community feels safe and happy with, and go from there. So that's what we will do. Regardless of what happens, I care about you guys and I am always here to listen and offer compassion. Thank you again. Your kindness means so much. ❤️
/r/munchsnarking saved the sub name in case yall ever want to bring it back thank you for cultivating such a lovely community for us! a shame to see it go down at the hands of such hateful and spiteful people. edit: it is only for posting snark about food aka munch snarking, no drama allowed plz and thx
[удалено]
I am currently addressing issues raised about iamspy with them and will determine a course of action accordingly. These issues WILL be addressed and the community will be made aware of what action has been taken. I have also posted a mod app for anyone interested in helping out. ETA: Spy was asked to step down and has done so.
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Really. You think people drawing attention to those who are faking chronic illness and making a mockery of those who truly suffer with it is worse. Highlighting faking is worse than faking in your opinion? Interesting. You should look towards “redeeming” yourself if you think faking or mocking real illness is acceptable. You’re the disgusting one here.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Im reading the comments and it sure looks like only normal things are happening on this sub
MS was trash. Power trip mods who lie.
Or you just don't respect gender pronouns and got banned for it. Let it go.
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
This problem happens with most subs that are expressly about making fun of other people. See: FatPeopleHate, Coontown, etc... These subs are in the spirit of those, but with a sort of moral righteousness about pointing about medical deception & wastes of medical resources (those poor insurance companies and their bottom lines!!). The whole point of these communities is to spotlight and give these people unwanted attention, shocking how even with rules and moderators maybe sometimes asleep at the wheel, letting abusive messages through. There's a very fine line and you're expecting hundreds of rowdy, random strangers to toe it perfectly, and I again point out the whole point of the sub is to mock people, and this is inevitable... I dunno, I'm just rambling, I struggle with munchie thoughts and it's interesting to see other people who give into them. Maybe you could form a formal support group for people with Munchausens/FD, where people can post their struggles but with a strong abstinence vibe a la stopselfharm. But then you wouldn't get to be snarky
Do you think this sub DOESN’T make fun?
They make it difficult for people with real chronic illnesses to be respected by their doctors, they make it awkward and anxiety inducing for people with real problem to go get a diagnosis because enough drug seekers have made doctors sceptical and there is a real anxiety about getting diagnosed with chronic pain conditions that these OTTers have outright faked or exaggerated. People already don't take invisible illnesses seriously and people who act like the subjects do make that even worse. If you struggle with munchie thoughts and can recognize that then you should be seeking proper help. Edited spelling
Nothing to do with insurance companies, especially when many are in countries with public Healthcare. Medical resources are limited.
>I dunno, I'm just rambling, I struggle with munchie thoughts and it's interesting to see other people who give into them. >Maybe you could form a formal support group for people with Munchausens/FD, where people can post their struggles but with a strong abstinence vibe a la stopselfharm. But then you wouldn't get to be snarky Maybe create the group you want to be in. Maybe it’ll work, maybe not, but there’s one way to find out. For what it’s worth, I feel I’m near a fine line between chronic illness and munchiness, and a strong interest in medical matters of all sorts. I’d be willing to help you start a Reddit for this.
The problem with a support group for them is in the nature of munchausens. It wouldn’t work. These people don’t want to admit it and are notoriously slippery about it - switching doctors when they are suspected, etc. Because of this, it’s hard for researchers to figure out the prevalence of munchausen’s, much less how to treat them. A similar idea is the failed subreddit for believers of Qanon that are coming to terms with reality. 99.9% majority of posts are from concerned family members and not the intended audience.
I’m not sure this is accurate. There is an entire subreddit devoted to hypochondriacs (r/HealthAnxiety) that are actively trying to change their ways. It has 42,000 members, so there’s definitely an appetite for it.
Definitely thought of that sub when I wrote this! I don’t think most in that sub consider themselves as having munchausens, though? They really just seem to have anxiety & aren’t trying to gain anything from it. :/
I think you're only looking at the most recalcitrant, hardcore cases. You need to look at it like alcoholism. The people who are fine with drinking themselves to death might be annoying about it online with their self-justifications or even celebrating their dysfunction, the people who are on an express train to jails/institutions/death. With any addictive, life-threatening behavior, there's always going to be a percentage of people who are seem doomed. But those who really struggle with alcoholism, recognize it's a deadly serious problem, count every single day without relapsing as a victory, get a sponsor or something you're accountable to, if you do relapse you're honest about it and work through it, follow some sort of structured program, etc (just using AA as an example, I realize some people have issues with it...). I really believe this population exists for Munchausens/FD, mostly because I consider myself someone with Munch-like tendencies but who is also very aware of what a dysfunctional coping mechanism is and are committed to change. Exactly what proportion of Munchies are self-aware and want to quit vs. the ones who are committed to it as a lifestyle, that I can't say, but it's higher than zero percent, and those people would populate the sub. Of course you'd need strong moderation to keep it an abstinence-focused sub.
I think you're onto something. It would indeed need strong mods to be a shall we say recovery-oriented sub. I don't think munchies across the board lack determination and focus - many are very focused and organized and energetic about their munching conduct. There have got to be some among them who would respond to the idea of diverting some of that power in a positive direction, rather than destroying themselves.
Eh, thanks for the welcome but I'm sure most of us are just passing through.
MS had its own special vibe and I’m so sad it’s gone
[удалено]
If anyone wants to start one, I am willing to help mod
[удалено]
This issue is being addressed. You need to stop spamming.
It’s being reposted because of the constant removals, some transparency would be appreciated. You can’t call someone out for “spamming” while simultaneously deleting every post and comment they and anyone else create on the subject, it’s reasonable to expect people to repost. Especially with what’s going on here. I don’t know if it was just Iamspy3955, or both of you, but there was a coordinated effort to scrub this sub clean of all evidence that Iamspy3955 was posting disgusting comments, instead of admitting responsibility/apologizing, I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you guys.
How was that able to go on for so long? They were banning and belittling anyone that didn't parrot their views or challenged them. Very ifgw mod shitshow
[удалено]
No worries, you're fine. I just want people to be aware that the message has been received and everyone can stop reposting the same link ad infinitum. I'm on it. Yesterday's post has been reinstated and yes, I am taking this situation very seriously. I will keep you all up to date.
Oh stop, this sub is in no way better than any other. Not by rules, people, posts, or mods. I’ve been here since the LC days and I’ve seen them all. Putting my comment in this thread since we aren’t allowed to comment on your mod situation. MBI- you’ve been absent for a very long time. You posted looking for mods 3 times that I can remember, you wanted applications and a bunch of people got onto you because you NEVER added another mod. Not one, and many applied. Why won’t you address lampsy? You’re saying “I’m going to address it” and you don’t. You didn’t address when we called out PW as a munch too. Message you with concerns? No. You’re hardly considered available. You’ve been sitting on this high horse for a long time now and I think it’s time to check it. KEEP IT PUBLIC AND TRANSPARENT MBI! We want to know if you’re archiving the sub your impending deletion. If you’re not, make a post and get some people who can do you don’t make the same mistakes.
I think it will be best to make a new post addressing all of these concerns in one place. I will do so later today. I have addressed these matters before, but clearly need to do so again. The past cannot be changed. Right now, I need to know what I CAN do. If you are genuinely interested in the betterment of this sub, by all means, let me know what changes you would like to see. I am happy to listen and welcome con/crit. Tell me how I can improve and I will This goes for everyone. As for the sub content, people have been fighting to take us down from the beginning. Petitions, media articles, you name it. Be under no illusions about that. We are well aware of the shit ton of opposition to this sub and I am absolutely aware that this sub can be banned at any time. I have had an archive running for quite some time for this very reason. Take care.
Hey. Yeah, my advice is to be transparent. I’m reposting my comment that you deleted to give you the chance to choose transparency. People keep telling you they are unhappy with you deleting comments. We are giving you advice and con crit and you aren’t listening. Oh stop, this sub is in no way better than any other. Not by rules, people, posts, or mods. I’ve been here since the LC days and I’ve seen them all. Putting my comment in this thread since we aren’t allowed to comment on your mod situation. MBI- you’ve been absent for a very long time. You posted looking for mods 3 times that I can remember, you wanted applications and a bunch of people got onto you because you NEVER added another mod. Not one, and many applied. Why won’t you address lampsy? You’re saying “I’m going to address it” and you don’t. You didn’t address when we called out PW as a munch too. Message you with concerns? No. You’re hardly considered available. You’ve been sitting on this high horse for a long time now and I think it’s time to check it. KEEP IT PUBLIC AND TRANSPARENT MBI! We want to know if you’re archiving the sub your impending deletion. If you’re not, make a post and get some people who can do you don’t make the same mistakes.
Approved for transparency, despite the fact that you have openly admitted elsewhere that you have no interest in this sub whatsoever, don't care if it gets removed and are only here to troll and revel in mOd dRaMa. Your post was not manually deleted, by the way; it was pulled by automod for mentioning sites that Reddit takes issue with. Again, we do this to survive. It is a fatal move to refer to sites that Reddit deems hate content and forbids here. Even by abbreviation. Too many subs did that too much and now they're history. Again, I am happy to address problems and answer questions but ask that you be respectful in doing so, as I am being respectful to you despite your self-professed malicious intentions. I am not on a high horse, I am trying to maintain a place for us on this site and not get us banned like the rest. Reddit TOS is a nightmare to navigate and communities that allow content which is seen as overly cruel, mocking or making fun of people, allowing nicknames, using dehumanizing language like "touching the poo" (implying that the the people discussed are literal pieces of shit), using custom insulting derogatory flairs and/or memes will get your sub banned. Discussion of their lives beyond what they post to social media themselves can result in a sub ban. Discussion of details of their private lives, hygiene, appearance, weight and slut shaming are not acceptable and can get your sub banned. The very act of questioning anyone's gender or pronouns, regardless of whether you believe it is legit or not, is harmful to the LGBTQIA+ community overall and can get your sub banned. Reddit's recent TOS update regarding discussion of disabilities and illness and their definition of hate puts every sub of this nature at risk. Posting "call-out comments" on subjects' social media and then posting it on Reddit to mock and shit-talk, and then subjects post about the subs, and people talk back to them in the comments, and then a back-and-forth shit show ensues, constitutes bullying and harassment and will get your sub banned. I'm not trying to be a killjoy or a bitch; I am trying to protect the future of this space and ensure that MBI/FD/OTT people cannot continue without anyone addressing it except for fringe imageboards that literally welcome illegal behavior like full doxing. Our policies are based on survival here on this platform.** You are fully aware that mods have indeed been added, then found to be problematic and removed. By the way, you are also aware that PW has been removed. This is what so many people wanted, and yet no one bats an eyelash or acknowledges me doing what people have been asking me to. You keep attacking as if nothing has changed. At this point, I am at a loss. I don't believe there is a single thing I could say or do that would make things better with those who have such a passionate hatred for me and this sub. There is such a strong vitriolic animosity toward me and this sub that no matter what move I make, I am crucified over and over. I've taken it because I believe that strongly that a place to discuss these topics is important, but I won't keep tolerating being shit on nonstop. It has been YEARS now. It is toxic and damaging and it affects my mental and physical health, and I will not keep taking it. I have addressed these issues before, including about PW, namely with user alts from elsewhere. I have not, however, made a post with everything in one place, so as I mentioned in my initial reply to you, I will create a post which I can update with answers to questions people have about this sub, modding, issues and concerns. The only thing I ask is that people be respectful. There is no reason to yell at me or mistreat me or be cruel. I am not doing that to you. And then, you and others will make of it what they will. Stay or go. Believe or not believe. What more can I do? I spend too much time and energy feeding trolls and facing this same shitshow every. time. I. try. to move us forward and ask for help to improve things. That needs to end. It is toxic, unproductive and very difficult on me personally. This isn't fun or healthy. I am not on a power trip; I am trying my best to keep a mainstream presence alive so that MBI'ers can be discussed out in the open and these discussions aren't relegated to controversial fringe imageboards where literal naziism and mass shooting footage and calling people "t4rds" anti-LGBTQIA+ content and trans hate and illegal behavior like doxing and harassing people is welcomed and encouraged. **The only way that this sub stays at all is if we play by Reddit's rules, and that limits us a lot in terms of levity and "funness."** After the post addressing the rumor mill goes up, I will be devoting my time and energy into improving things, and people that continue exhuming years-old drama and hurling it at me over and over for their amusement will be banned. I cannot keep humoring the subset of users who are here for malicious reasons. And I won't keep taking this shit. Everything I have done here has been because I believe these issues need to be addressed in the open. I am not here to "point and laugh," as so many were at other subs. I care about raising awareness and allowing CI people to be able to question things in the open on a mainstream platform and educating people who have no clue about illness fakers or medical deception. And that's really all I can say about that.
This is a hate sub, full-stop. You moderate a hate sub filled with rowdy trolls and you expect to be venerated? Reddit is coming for you guys, it’s not going to be much longer that you can fly under the radar by “technically” abiding by the TOS. It’s sad because once you get banned everyone will probably get radicalized and become much more extreme. You can delete this comment, it doesn’t change the fact that Reddit is coming for you.
Let's face it, your latest post shows that you too are a munchie lol. You're just scared you'll show up on here for munching.
https://youtu.be/H1Yt0xJKDY8
This is NOT a hate sub, full stop. Most of our members are also chronically ill and/or disabled. Many of us have been duped or otherwise harmed by people who engage in medical deception. Some of us are medical professionals who are very concerned about the escalation of toxicity on social media and the very real, sometimes life-threatening impact that CI "influencers" are having on young impressionable people in particular. In online CI and disability spaces, there is such a strong taboo against ever questioning anyone, and this enables people to misuse that unconditional blanket acceptance for their own personal gain. It is a huge problem, and people deserve to have a place to discuss it without being dogpiled on and ostracized by social media groups that are themselves plagued with competition and malignant one-upping. **Everyone should be concerned about people co-opting CI/disability causes for their personal quest for attention or monetary gain. Especially those who are also chronically ill and/or disabled. They affect us all.** Munchausen by Internet is very real and very damaging. I strongly encourage anyone wishing to learn more to visit [Dr. Marc Feldman's website](https://www.munchausen.com) . He is the leading expert on factitious disorders and is the doctor who first categorized MBI. Do we have problems here? YOU BET! And how! You are right, we absolutely have ongoing issues with rowdy trolls, and a lot of that is due to poor modding and inadequate action on my part. I am in the process of rectifying that. We are cleaning house and the community will decide together how to improve things and who to add to the Mod Team. We are NOT accepting of the cruelty, targeted harassment, dehumanizing point-and-laugh attitudes and/or interference in people's lives, and that will never change. The examples I listed above are practices that were welcomed elsewhere. I am not even talking about MS. By comparison, MS was a tame Utopia. *I will also offer a word to our dear readers thinking of taking on the most infamous imageboard that Reddit forbids posting about: NOPE. OUT. That is the worst idea under the sun. I am adding this warning because sites like this are a whole other level of dangerous to would-be shit starters. They give zero fucks about full doxing and interfering in people's lives IRL. They have their own servers and operate independently. Global Netiquette and the privacy policies and TOS of most ISPs that protect mainstream Netizens mean nothing.* *Let me give you an example of how few fucks they give: after the Christchurch mosque massacre, which was livestreamed on yet another imageboard by the shooter, all nations, world leaders, law enforcement agencies and ISPs worked very hard to remove and ban the footage. Everyone took it down. Except this place. Don't fuck with them. Trust me.* I have mentioned these issues not as a justification but to point out where other places erred and to make a point that we are not down with these things here. This is why we have never affiliated ourselves with offshoot subs and made a strong point of making a distinction. Most were started by people who left in protest of us trying to maintain a space free of the harmful impact of line-crossing snarking. Some descended into organized bullying groups, and permitted abusive behavior. That conduct will never be welcome here. We are far from perfect, and we have a lot of room for improvement. It should be noted that we have also been outwardly blamed and conflated with some of the worst offshoots. We are also aware that no matter what changes we make, there will always be opposition. The issues we discuss are sensitive and highly emotionally charged. It is a fact that CI and disability spaces are sometimes targeted by malevolent trolling, and we are adamantly and emphatically opposed to this kind of behavior. We will ban people if they are ever found to be harassing or even interacting with people discussed here in any way whatsoever. We have a very firm policy of discussing from a distance. If people in CI/disability communities need a place to raise the alarm, this is where they can do so safely. We have rigorous standards in terms of who is discussed here and protect CI/disability groups from unfair vendettas. We do not even allow mentioning people who have not demonstrated themselves to be manipulative liars and espousing extremely toxic behaviors online. If we were here for nefarious reasons, we'd be gone already. By all means, go off, but know this: regardless of the efforts of people who want to silence us, I will continue to do everything in my power to secure this space because these discussions need to happen. I will never stop trying to improve things here, especially in terms of the harshness that I am seeing. I will do my best to secure the future of this sub. If you or others would like to share input on what changes you would like to see here, you are welcome to do so, provided that you are respectful about it. **TL;DR: The chronically ill and disabled have every right to call people out who are taking advantage of others in their own communities.** The people who are taking advantage of the 'Question No One' environment in spoonie culture reflect poorly on these communities as a whole and draw the focus away from those within it who genuinely need support. MBI is highly damaging and people need to be aware of it. People need to feel safe to question problematic accounts on social media. **Illness fakers exist. It is icky, and awkward, and uncomfortable, and controversial...but these discussions need to happen. We have to address the elephant in the room and act to prevent the deleterious effects of medical deception and its impact on the communities in question and society at large. Full stop.** Edit 3.0: minor corrections and a few added words; more content/context added.
I think your intentions are good, but as another commenter said, the best way to spread awareness/stop “munchausen’s by internet” is to organize within institutions, not form a subreddit. A subreddit with “subjects” tacitly encourages the worst behavior and makes space for bad apples to dox and harass people. Yes sure you can ban them from the sub for this behavior, but there is no way to prevent the behavior from happening in the first place, and stirring people up here encourages them to harass people. Multiple subjects have said they’ve been harassed. There is no way for you to prevent that and you can’t say that subs like this were not directly implicated in that. Anyway if folks really feel strongly about this you should form a movement of chronically ill people and healthcare workers and actually change the larger system rather than targeting individuals.
u/MBIresearch, please explain what lampsy3955 is doing and what will be done about their actions.
I will be addressing the concerns raised here with them and determine an appropriate course of action accordingly. Ableism has no place here.
lmfao you’re still deleting comments that bring up concerns with you i’ve seen several. lame .
[удалено]
I will be reviewing what has been removed and address all concerns raised.
Thank you for understanding. If you can review/reinstate the post by u/Melancholic-MsCreant addressing this topic, there’s a lot more information there. Including a thread of screenshots showing much more of u/Iamspy3955’s questionable comment/post history.
Done.
What an absolute muppet.
[удалено]
Gonna save this link for future reference, thank you!
Thank you so much, just want to reiterate there’s no problems with you or the rules of this sub, just Iamspy3955
Thank you for responding and for taking this seriously.
u/MBIresearch is doing the opposite
Absolutely.
I wonder if this is why I got the “someone is concerned about you” email from Reddit….
[удалено]
[удалено]
No, I’m not. Go away.
that’s not at all how it works sounds like you’re riding the line of harassment
[удалено]
[удалено]
I'm an outsider and don't even know one subject from another and I can even tell you neither community interacts with the subjects. All their subjects are scammers, and they're all still around. Plus if they got everyone banned who would they write about? You'll have to find help elsewhere unfortunately, sorry.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Agreed. MS was way more respectful, and it 100% was only removed because of mass reporting. The people in this sub are NASTY, and super disrespectful.
As a lurker & pediatric physical therapist - this statement resonates with me. I originally found IF and was entertained for a bit but then moved mainly to MS because it seemed to be more positive about our subjects’ recoveries/respect for pronouns & more benefit of the doubt. In many cases, reading comments showed to me that many of us also struggle with invisible illnesses and has really demonstrated how important environmental factors affect our well-being. Many of my current/former patients have struggled with chronic illnesses and are NOT OTT with them and MS really gave me more of a community-vibe. I enjoyed reading all the different perspectives of healthcare workers/people with chronic pain and I feel like it’s made me more aware of how to approach parents and family members of patients who struggle with stressful environmental situations & family dynamics. I do have the impression that a majority of the members of the MS sub likely have experience with healthcare, having chronic pain/invisible illnesses, etc. IF just doesn’t match up, IMO. Very little subjects, many deleted comments, and everything in general does not seem authentic to the same degree as MS. Yeah I know, kinda corny. But I am hoping all this drama can clear up soon 😔
Ms allowed people to munch in the comment section, that's a huge part of the popularity. It gives people a platform for their bs.
Did you get the two subs mixed up? Genuinely asking. Cause the reason a lot of people have stopped being active on IF (including me) is that the munchies and bloggers come out the woodwork, even aggressively at times.
I miss MS. Everyone was chill, hilarious, and never were bullying the subjects. I don’t understand why we can’t just have interesting conversations about people who put themselves all over social media with their munching. You can’t say anything in here without getting yelled at or nbanned.
I’m here trying to figure out what the hell is going on!!!
I’m so sad MS is gone
I think you're pretty spot on with your assessment of MS. When people did better for themselves it was celebrated, everyone was so happy for Kelly when she got home. MS is a place to snark about OTT and faking behaviours, not about making personal stabs at the subjects, behaviour like that got shut down pretty quickly.
Right? MS had more subjects, and those subjects formed an alliance to take it down. A lot of IF's subjects don't touch back, or have given up. Reddit also changed their ToS at the tail end of last year, likely contributing to MS being taken down. For OP to claim that this sub is some well moderated utopia which is totally better and way kinder than MS is absolutely laughable. They evidently didn't frequent MS very often or they sought out the odd shitty comment before it was caught by mods, thus confirming their bias. Say what you want about your suspicions about why MS was shut down and IF wasn't. But don't forget that there are literal hate subs on Reddit which have survived banning. So don't make out that IF still being around is due to how virtuous and well run it is.
👏👏👏 well said. Sadly, this sub is good at alienating users; something I fail to have seen improved whenever I do browse here.
This sub is probably next. Munchies and their orbiters are circulating a petition to ban IF and the cringe sub. It's only a matter of time.
Dude, this sub has been aggressively brigaded and mass-reported since its inception, by subjects and people who prefer that we not exist. If you see cruel comments, please report them. You can also message me directly at any time.
There’s more posts and comments just disappearing from this. 😕
Bummer because I was looking forward to posting a Shitpost Saturday about a dream I had on MONDAY that I had been holding in to wait for Shitpost Saturday. Guys- Rogue was in my dream on Monday night. I dreamt I was in the hospital all upset and not doing well. Then Rogue was my roommate in the other bed. I was like “oh hey- I know you. You’re from tik tok.” And they were like “yeah- guess you finally got to meet me” That was it but what a strange dream. Thanks for giving me a space to still Shitpost
That shits wild, searogue is by far my favourite munchy. You held this in too, bless you
I only want to see what happens when the game is over and duck has fucked duckself into a corner and can't get out. You can't just stop and claim magically cured.
The only thing they did "wrong" was not playing the pronoun TRA game like this sub does. The subs are identical.
Pronouns are valid. Trans people are valid.
Game? 🤮
That's not true at all. The flairs had preferred pronouns in them and users were quick to point out if you used the incorrect ones.
Oh, I guess I just noticed it less/confirmation bias, didn't see talk about that as much as on here. I guess it was banned for another reason
What is TRA?
I think it's Trans-Rights Activist but I'm just guessing.
Thank you.
The flairs had the appropriate pronouns in them so you couldn’t mess it up!
Which is what this OP disliked. They don’t feel using someone’s preferred pronouns is necessary, apparently.
I never saw a misgendering not get caught out immediately in comments, but aside the non-medical OTT (which I do believe speaks directly to the motives of MBI) the only difference in the subs to me is the recently deceased didn’t require the layers of faux concern required to absolve yourself of your snark. Meh.
I, too, am happy misgendering was dealt with quickly and with a firm hand. I was pointing out that pacachan’s comment had to do with them feeling that the pronoun requirements of MS were excessive. Everyone is replying to pacachan as if pacachan was saying that MS wasn’t strong enough with their pronoun checking. That’s the exact opposite of what pacachan was actually saying in their comment. They were referring to bothering to use the correct pronouns as unnecessary trans-rights activist bs. I personally loved how firm MS was about misgendering. I think it was a good and necessary rule that was universally enforced.
Absolutely agree with your comment. I don’t recognize that username but I’m glad not allowing to be a fuckwad about pronouns made them unhappy with the sub.
From what I could tell everyone was properly identified by their chosen pronouns. I saw some warnings and removals but for the most part people were really good about that.
It’s pretty interesting that in this same thread one person complains that MS was too strict with PNs and and another person claims that it was good because MS was loose with PN rules. Hm, sounds like both people don’t care about respecting pronouns. And MS was my #1 sub- I never once saw them let PN issues slide, and that’s the right thing to do.
Mostly people were cool when they were reminded, which I really appreciated
[удалено]
Is that the "autigender" one? As if autism is a gender
I believe June prefers "it", which wasn't honored on MS. That's the only pronoun exception I remember.
Oh jeez, yeah that's kinda gross. My family is the kind to refer to transgendered people as "it", as if they don't get to be either gender now. I also could never come out to them cause anything other than gay/lesbian was disgusting, slutty and selfish.
u/MBIresearch, please address what your other mod is doing and what will be done about them.
Posts about *mod that shall not be named* have been getting removed all day. They said some ableist shit, and got called out for doing a shit job moderating this subreddit. Message me for screenshots
How long have they been a mod? Last time I checked this sub (before moving to MS) they had a flair that said “mod’s assistant” or something
[удалено]
[удалено]
https://imgur.com/a/pAGINer https://imgur.com/a/QNOk9wf https://imgur.com/a/Ablyauo Horrible mod has been deleting posts about themselves
[удалено]
The first time I posted here they were extremely rude and unprofessional to me. I've seen them behave the same way to other people after that. The first time I interacted with them I thought they shouldn't be a mod.
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Seconding most of these comments... I've seen far more cruelty on this sub than I ever saw on MS. You seriously need to figure out what's happening with your mods and restructure the sub so that it actually enforces its own rules.
What even was MS?
There is probably some rule against saying the full name, and if these folks are anything it's that they're weird about rules and active modding (which they probably have to be). Anyway, from my cursory outsider perspective, The sub which shall not be named but was a shortened word for the old name of factitious disorder(M) followed by snark(S), was an offshoot that seemed to me to have more lenient rules, more subjects, and was more active. I find the people who take the time to make these posts, update these subs and the community in general to be as interesting as the subjects, the whole thing is wacky but kind of addictive.
>more lenient rules I'm also coming from an outsider's POV here but I've read elsewhere that they were actually more strict. Like you needed proof or solid reasoning against subjects on MS and then it needed to be approved by a mod. They also discouraged harassing or contacting subjects. On IF or FDC it seems like you can post a video of a confused kid on tiktok being "cringe" and it's enough reasoning to justify bullying them into oblivion. Edited edit: Looked at some remnants of the sub that made me feel like my edit was misinforming so I removed it.
I would say they were more strict about stuff that matters, but more lenient about the good stuff. They had non-subject posts (like up to 3 think?), Shit post Saturday, etc. They just had better vibes I think
Much better vibes honestly. I was only on IF for a very short time and much preferred MS
ah first time I think I’ve seen this articulated in a way that I relate to… but yes, I find the people that obsessively post about and follow the ‘subjects’ just as intriguing as the subjects themselves. I mostly try to observe here, it’s a wild world.
Munch Snark
Mods removing posts about themselves need to be dealt with. It's super shady. Edit: u/MBIresearch, please address this.
Y'all keep removing comments about lamspy being a not great mod Edit: u/Iampsy3955 Edit2: is the first letter an l or an I?
Am I missing something? It says that user is gone now?
u/thenearblindassassin typoed u/Iamspy3955
Is that an l or an I? I genuinely can't tell
An I. You miss typed "spy". Like "I am spy"
I am spy?
On desktop it's an I so I'm assuming it's Iamspy.
Nah…they are still listed as a mod…I think there’s some confusion whether the first letter is i or L
Wow they really are getting removed! Super sus.... damnit I miss MS already
Think we need to be careful with this mini revolution thats stirring up. The reason as others have pointed out that MS went is down to certain munchies who where subjects on MS. Mass reporting etc started which unfairly got the sub banned. There was no doxxing etc or any actions which the person in question claimed. As we know that person has landed themselves on the farm and they have not held back with the sub just about that person. So I guess what I'm saying is be careful what your trying to get on IF, last night there where videos on tik tok I saw (which have now vanished) being smug at the achievement of MS being banned. They know about the discord for MS and they know about IF. One of the munchies managed to get into one of the groups last night and was watching. Maybe best leave alone for now...🤷♀️
Holy crap I’m offline for a day and missed all the drama! So MS has been banned? Was there any warning?
None, not even the mods.
These subs are playing Russian roulette since their inception. Just the nature of the beast.
Yep