Is The Term Brainstorming Offensive?

Is Brainstorming an offensive term

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No

    Votes: 80 97.6%
  • Bit of both

    Votes: 2 2.4%

  • Total voters
    82

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Hi Krista,

I would never say that "You "am AN Epileptic. I would say that "Krista, you have "epilepsy""(noun). To a lot of people with epilepsy, epileptic is an offensive word.

I will just avoid using it as an adjective. I will make my sentences with it as a noun, "Epilepsy."

I also have Diabetes. Is anyone here who has Diabetes offended by the word "Diabetic?" In the Diabetic (adjective)) support groups, I have never encountered anyone with Diabetes (noun) offended by the word "Diabetic."

I will not use the word "Diabetic" or the word "Epileptic" in this forum, as it will offend some people. I do not want to offend anyone here who has Diabetes, either.

I do not want to take anyone's identity taken from them.

Krista, I hope you take part in the poll. That is the only way that everyone will have the correct percentage.

I am sorry that I have insulted some people here who have epilepsy.
 
Ruth! :) I just realized your PM was responding to this! I'm sorry, I was a bit confused about your message. Anyway, I'm not offended by what you said. I was just explaining that saying someone is epileptic and saying someone is an epileptic is different and that I can be offended by the latter, but it's not like I'm going to speak out about it and try to get everyone to be all PC about it and stop saying it.
Thanks for your private message and sorry I was confused. I hope you didn't think I was offended by your post here.
And I did vote in this poll and I replied a while back. "Brainstorming" is NOT offensive to and it never even occurred to me that anyone would even connect a widely used term like "brainstorming" to seizures.
 
Krista,

I was not at all offended by what you said. We are all here to support and care for each other in the forum.

I am just explaining the way I feel. You are doing the same thing.

I am sorry that my PM was confusing. I do get confused at times. Did I sound like you were trying to get everyone to stop saying the word "epileptic?"

If you were trying to get everyone to stop saying the word "epileptic" completely, you would have said so!!

Anders, who started the thread said that people, who do not epilepsy, asked if it was offensive to us. At his place of employment, they wanted to change it to "idea showers." They were just trying to be considerate of people with epilepsy.
 
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There are people who can become offended by anything because they want to be offended, then there are people who spend every moment of their waking lives trying to offend anyone else. I't just really better not to be either one I think. Say what you mean as clearly as you can and with diplomacy if somebody gets offended.. apologize with humility once, if they are determined to stay offended they want to be. pretty simple.
 
then those who sue each time surpposedly offended....i know of one who serial victim she just made 8000gran this time
 
I am somewhat certain that no judge in his or her right mind would entertain such a claim. What exactly are the damages incurred from even a deliberately slanderous use of the term "brainstorming"? Was money lost somehow? A person who needs therapy (for example) in order to cope with the mental anguish caused by such a thing (and that's the only damage I can imagine would ever be entertained by a court-> READ: Psychiatric costs) Needs therapy for other reasons already. A person who is so over-sensitive that they can find them-self in need of therapy to overcome the emotional damage of deliberately and intentionally derogatory use of the term "Brainstorming" is a person who is probably emotionally damaged by anything and everything said to them by everyone every single day.


it is a hard world and a hard life. Kindness is not the law and let us be thankful for that for if it were then genuine kindness in all it's rarity would have no essential value of it's own. If I tell you "you must give to the poor or i will behead you" what value has your charity got then? none. It's the same with kindness, and so it should never be the role of the court to enforce charity of spirit any more than it should be the role of the court to enforce charity en literale'. Such people are enemies of justice, they are parasites and profiteers.

If someone wants to poke fun at my epilepsy let them. Sometimes i fall down and flail around for a while then wake up confused. is it fun? Fuck no. is it funny? ...IDK it kind of is, but i choose to see it that way because I am not a selfish easily offended child.

it's a hard hard world once again, kindness and warmth are rare that's why they have such profound value.


MY POINT:

Be kind, Be forgiving , Be tolerant but don't walk on eggshells for people and don't expect them to do it for you . Don't be an emotional minefield others have to wander through terrified that you will over react suddenly without warning. And when you see kindness, value it , and treat those who offer it without asking for anything in return with gratitude, do the same back to others.
 
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If it is, I've spent the last 3.5 years teaching kids something that's offensive...... I using brainstorming in lessons all the time.
I've never actually thought about the term in depth enough to realise it could be offensive
 
It was used all the time when I was at uni where you might expect them to be more PC (they seemed to be about everything else) but thinking about it, I've never seen it at work.

I'm all for not offending people, but this has nothing to do with 'offence' as I think it was pointed out earlier, it's all just about liability.

When did the world suddenly start caring what people with E think? About such a daft word too lol
 
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I don't find the word Brainstorming offensive but I find the word epileptic offensive.
 
Brainstorming is just a word where people get together to solve a problem.

Some people here find the word epileptic offensive. I try not to use it here on the forum for that reason. I do not find it offensive. It is an adjective, epilepsy is used as a noun.

Why do you find it offensive, Belinda5000?
 
Ruth,

It comes from when I volunteered at the epilepsy foundation in Atlanta and worked with a woman there who went out taught people about epilepsy.

She did couldn't stand the word epileptic and I grew to be like that.
I feel like I'm being put in a category and that I don't like.
Like I have asthma not asthmatic
 
Heard a brilliant story from my dad the other day. He was at work with a group of guys from his department "brainstorming" on a whiteboard, when he was pulled to one side by an HR guy and told that he is not allowed to use the term "brainstorm" anymore, and must use "idea showers" instead. The reason? It’s offensive to people with epilepsy...

He actually phoned me up to ask me about this and if I found it offensive, I just laughed. I would never have made the connection between brainstorm and epilepsy if someone hadn't pointed it out to me, and if anything I found it offensive that he insists on changing a recognised term in business and singling out someone like me as the reason everyone else has to change the terminology they use.

anyway, I just wanted to get other people’s opinions on if this is actually offensive, or if there are any other terms they’ve come across that are offensive, or ones that people seem to think are?
I never would have got the connection until I read this. Some people are just too easiely offened. Next time I have a seizure I will tell people I am just brainstorming. :)
 
Ruth,

It comes from when I volunteered at the epilepsy foundation in Atlanta and worked with a woman there who went out taught people about epilepsy.

She did couldn't stand the word epileptic and I grew to be like that.
I feel like I'm being put in a category and that I don't like.
Like I have asthma not asthmatic

Belinda, is there really a word, "asthmatic." I will have to look it up in my dictionary.

She is being to sensitive about the word epileptic. Like I said, it is an adj.
For instance, I have epilepsy. There it is used as a noun.

Also: I am an epileptic. Would you say, "I am an epilepsy." It is just a matter of the way the word is used.

To accomodate this person who is offended, be careful to avoid where you would have to say epileptic. You will have to think of a sentence to avoid the adjective of the word.

Why do you think someone has put you in a catergory? I have not, have I?

Ruth
 
Belinda, is there really a word, "asthmatic." I will have to look it up in my dictionary.

She is being to sensitive about the word epileptic. Like I said, it is an adj.
For instance, I have epilepsy. There it is used as a noun.

Also: I am an epileptic. Would you say, "I am an epilepsy." It is just a matter of the way the word is used.

To accomodate this person who is offended, be careful to avoid where you would have to say epileptic. You will have to think of a sentence to avoid the adjective of the word.

Why do you think someone has put you in a catergory? I have not, have I?

Ruth

Yes asthmatic is a word. I think it is frequently used to describe someone that is having a flare up or or an active asthma attack.

While I don't use epileptic because I know if offends some people, it doesn't offend me.

For some reason I feel differently when someone describes my grandson as autistic. I prefer to describe him as having autism.
 
Hi MAB,

I try not to use epileptic for the same reason as you. I do not want to offend anyone.

I am sorry to hear that your grandson has autism.

Thank you for letting me know about the word "asthmatic." That means that I am an asthmatic.
 
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