Brainstorming vs. Ideas Cascade. PC gone mad again.

Anthony Butcher · 25-11-2004, 01:22 AM

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...373312,00.html

Quote:

A COUNCIL has banned use of the word “brainstorming” because it could offend people with head injuries. Members of the Labour-controlled Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council have been told to use the phrase “blue sky thinking” instead.

Councillor Leighton Smart, an independent member for the old Welsh mining village of Bedlinog, had suggested having a brainstorming session with a council officer. He was taken aside and told not to use such an expression again.

Mr Smart said yesterday: “This is political correctness getting ridiculous. I took it as a joke at first, but it was meant in all seriousness. I don’t want to upset anyone, but where is the commonsense?

“Brainstorming is just getting heads together to work out problems — I’ve never heard of anyone being offended by it. I refuse to be told what to say.”

A council spokesman said: “We look to apply rules of simple, plain English without any intention of causing offence to any particular groups.”

The brain injury association Headway has urged people not to use the term brainstorming. Its preferred alternative is “ideas cascade”.

Are there people out there deliberately looking for phrases to be offended by? It is almost as if there is a secret competition going on to come up with the most ridiculous piece of political correctness and get it implemented by the public sector.

mkpdavies · 25-11-2004, 01:26 AM

The taxpayer is actually paying good money for these parasites to come up with this garbage.

Blue sky thinking will offend the vampires, so thats out too.

You couldn't make it up!

Tom Wilde · 25-11-2004, 02:49 PM

I would say that this is completely crazy, but Headway would probably object to that term as well.

Let's not beat about the bush. I'm sure nobody has ever been offended by the term 'brainstorming'. What is happening is that Headway, a worthy but minor charity, has a hyperactive press department dedicated to raising its profile and thus helping it to help brain injury sufferers. Presumably some bright spark thought that a campaign against the word "brainstorming" would be a good way to get the name of the charity INTO phpbb_the papers. So far, so harmless.

Probably the charity expected Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council simply to bin the press release, but councils have their own dynamics when it comes to political correctness. Their usual policy is simply to automatically adopt whatever linguistic rules any disadvantaged group might suggest to them. Consequently some anally-retentive little pipsqueak told Cllr Smart off for using a perfectly normal word. Cllr Smart saw his own opportuntity to get some local publicity and was on the phone to the local rag in 15 seconds flat. Everybody has had a laugh, Cllr Smart and the admirable Headway have had some free publicity and no real harm has been done.

25-11-2004, 01:26 AM	#2 (permalink)
mkpdavies Uber Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Woking Posts: 30,604	The taxpayer is actually paying good money for these parasites to come up with this garbage. Blue sky thinking will offend the vampires, so thats out too. You couldn't make it up! __________________ http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/ http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/ http://lpuk.org My ignore list Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

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25-11-2004, 02:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
Tom Wilde Moderator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: London. Posts: 2,771	I would say that this is completely crazy, but Headway would probably object to that term as well. Let's not beat about the bush. I'm sure nobody has ever been offended by the term 'brainstorming'. What is happening is that Headway, a worthy but minor charity, has a hyperactive press department dedicated to raising its profile and thus helping it to help brain injury sufferers. Presumably some bright spark thought that a campaign against the word "brainstorming" would be a good way to get the name of the charity INTO phpbb_the papers. So far, so harmless. Probably the charity expected Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council simply to bin the press release, but councils have their own dynamics when it comes to political correctness. Their usual policy is simply to automatically adopt whatever linguistic rules any disadvantaged group might suggest to them. Consequently some anally-retentive little pipsqueak told Cllr Smart off for using a perfectly normal word. Cllr Smart saw his own opportuntity to get some local publicity and was on the phone to the local rag in 15 seconds flat. Everybody has had a laugh, Cllr Smart and the admirable Headway have had some free publicity and no real harm has been done.