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Brainstorming: Should we be offended?

Sat, 06/21/2008 - 13:31
Topic: Living With Epilepsy - Adults
So my yahoo news feed sent me this. http://social.moldova.org/stiri/eng/128767/ As I was reading it I was thinking how absurd it was. Heck, half of the words we use can be seen as offensive if we were to break them down all entymologically and historically and on and on. I think the bigger issue is ignorance towards what epilepsy is. Outlawing the usage of the word "brainstorming" or another other word like it is not going to educate anyone, if anything it makes me feel like that sort of thing just adds more of a stigma and thus makes us more vulnearable. I see it as just another well-meaning, but wayward, example of institutional action that amounts to not doing anything at all except avoiding measures that might actually be helpful. In this case the measure was declared as extreme and unnessary, as it was, but I think this happens elsewhere as well. If people are ignorant they can still be very mean while trying to be very politically correct in their language. (Like my martial arts instructer who was careful not to address the class as "you guys" since I was (the lone) female but did not allow me to spar when I reached level because "women need to learn pragmatic things, like escape tactics.") What does everyone else think about this? Having epilepsy, are there things people say that offend you? (I don't mean like directly insulting you.)

Comments

Re: Brainstorming: Should we be offended?

Submitted by ROCKNROLL on Wed, 2008-06-25 - 01:08

I THINK IT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS, BUT I THINK MOST OF THIS POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS RIDICULOUS. I CAN UNDERSTAND SOMETHING LIKE 'MENTALLY IMPAIRED' AS PREFERABLE TO 'RETARDED',  BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT JUST GOES TOO FAR. MY THOUGHT, EXCUSE ME, BUT SOMEONE GETS A BUG UP THEIR B*** AND HERE WE GO AGAIN.......I WOULD NEVER HAVE ASSOCIATED BRAINSTORMING WITH E., AND IF I HEARD IT USED IN THAT WAY, I WOULD JUST LAUGH! 

I USE ALL CAPS FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED. I WISH YOU PEACE, LOVE, BLESSINGS, JOY.........JAN

I THINK IT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS, BUT I THINK MOST OF THIS POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS RIDICULOUS. I CAN UNDERSTAND SOMETHING LIKE 'MENTALLY IMPAIRED' AS PREFERABLE TO 'RETARDED',  BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT JUST GOES TOO FAR. MY THOUGHT, EXCUSE ME, BUT SOMEONE GETS A BUG UP THEIR B*** AND HERE WE GO AGAIN.......I WOULD NEVER HAVE ASSOCIATED BRAINSTORMING WITH E., AND IF I HEARD IT USED IN THAT WAY, I WOULD JUST LAUGH! 

I USE ALL CAPS FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED. I WISH YOU PEACE, LOVE, BLESSINGS, JOY.........JAN

Re: Brainstorming: Should we be offended?

Submitted by uberzwitter on Wed, 2008-06-25 - 09:17
Totally agreed. However even with terms like "mentally impaired" (which I think is a good term) get reworked periodically into even more P.C. terms in a trend I don't quite get. I think handicapped is a better example of this. "Crippled" used to be non-offensive, that became "handicapped, which became "disabled", and then "differently abled" or "physically challenged". I have to say it is hard to follow since I just realized I am behind on the times myself, but am I willing to change? I am willing to take on enough P.C.ness to not call someone a cripple or a retard without recoiling in disgust- but think it's nitpicking to say "differently abled" instead of handicapped or disabled. I think it comes down to what we were taught and were used to saying. I don't mean it offensively so I don't see why anyone should pretend that it is.

Re: Brainstorming: Should we be offended?

Submitted by banffgirl on Thu, 2008-06-26 - 01:31

WELL IN THE CORPORATE WORLD, BRAINSTORMING WAS A HORRID WORD!!! IT MEANT A LONG TEDIOUS MEETING WHERE THEY EXPECTED US TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS THAT MANAGEMENT CAUSED. LOL. DONT MISS THAT PART OF WORKING!!! BUT I DO MISS THE REST!!!

PERSONALLY I HATE ANY POLITICALY CORRECT STUFF. ALL IT DOES IS ADD MORE WIERD STIGMAS ON PEOPLE THAN THERE WERE BEFORE. IT DRAWS MORE ATTENTION THAN THE OLD NAMES BECAUSE PEOPLE TRY SO HARD TO COME UP WITH A POLITICALY CORRECT NAME.

WHEN EDUCATING THE PUBLIC THEY SHOULD JUST TALK ABOUT EPILEPSY AND SEIZURES, WHY SAY SOME STUPID MADE UP WORD?

PERSONALY I KNOW QUITE A FEW OF US TALK ABOUT OUR OWN ELECTRICAL STORMS IN OUR BRAINS BUT HEY THAT OUR OWN BRAINS AND NO ONE WITHOUT E CAN SAY IT OR UNDERSTAND THAT ONE!!!

 I TYPE IN CAPS FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

GOD BLESS, BANFFGIRL LIFE IS FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE.

WELL IN THE CORPORATE WORLD, BRAINSTORMING WAS A HORRID WORD!!! IT MEANT A LONG TEDIOUS MEETING WHERE THEY EXPECTED US TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS THAT MANAGEMENT CAUSED. LOL. DONT MISS THAT PART OF WORKING!!! BUT I DO MISS THE REST!!!

PERSONALLY I HATE ANY POLITICALY CORRECT STUFF. ALL IT DOES IS ADD MORE WIERD STIGMAS ON PEOPLE THAN THERE WERE BEFORE. IT DRAWS MORE ATTENTION THAN THE OLD NAMES BECAUSE PEOPLE TRY SO HARD TO COME UP WITH A POLITICALY CORRECT NAME.

WHEN EDUCATING THE PUBLIC THEY SHOULD JUST TALK ABOUT EPILEPSY AND SEIZURES, WHY SAY SOME STUPID MADE UP WORD?

PERSONALY I KNOW QUITE A FEW OF US TALK ABOUT OUR OWN ELECTRICAL STORMS IN OUR BRAINS BUT HEY THAT OUR OWN BRAINS AND NO ONE WITHOUT E CAN SAY IT OR UNDERSTAND THAT ONE!!!

 I TYPE IN CAPS FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

GOD BLESS, BANFFGIRL LIFE IS FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE.

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