We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Query - Epilepsy, Seizures and Brainstorms
Comments
-
I don;t want to insult anyone.
I have a son with life threatening epilepsy who has hundreds of varying types of seizures a day and regularly goes into epileptic comas and has to be rushed to hospital in the hope that he can be bought round, and I have to say that up till now I personally didn;t consider brainstorming a word that would insult anyone. I don;t have epilepsy though and I cannot ask my son as he is unable to understand the question and answer back.
I guess my answer would be I know you cannot please all of the people all of the time, but there are some very harsh words out there and so as I learn more about the world of complex needs, and how people feel about it I change my vocabulary all the time.
If I discovered that my son was offended by that word, I would change it for another, the English language is such that there are plenty of other words that are apt to describe something. It may change the life of the person concerned immensely at little cost to yourself. Have to say though - thought shower sounds a little wrong!!
:beer:0 -
I've never heard of anyone referring to a seizure as a "brainstorm" so it is surely not offensive? If it became a term used as abuse as well as its normal meaning, that would be a different matter.
My daughter has had epilepsy since her teens, she thought it was hilarious when she was told that "brainstorming" was to be replaced my "mind shower" - she used to laugh and tell her teacher she ought to be offended whenever they used the term.
now, Disney's "Imagination Movers" have an irritating song on their programme called "Brainstorming", if people would like to campain to have that (or the whole damn show) removed as an offence to common sense... (I always leap for the remote when it comes on after the youngest has watched Mickey Mouse!)0 -
Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »Let the National / International [ British fixation again ] and the above MSE poll speak for itself. The fact of the matter is an almost 100% of the UK population were not [STRIKE]manipulated[/STRIKE] persuaded after a huge amount of money was spent by a lobby group on behalf of one singular charity to change the language of the nation.
Epileptic's do not agree, they too think 'brainstorming' means .. .. err brainstorming.
The UK population do not agree, they too think 'brainstorming' means .. .. err brainstorming.
Both groups do not connect brainstorming with Epileptic's
Lawyers do, and individuals who employ layers do .. .. if they think they can 'cry' the old 'I'm victimised' - gimme some money or else.
Epileptic's are not a victim of language they are the victim of their illness.0 -
Epileptic, diabetic, they are just words, like brain storming. They aren't offensive, they aren't intended to be offensive, and most people don't take offense by them. It's all this political correctness rubbish that is causing all of this.
Words don't define who you are, illnesses, diseases, conditions, do not define the person that you are. The only thing that does that, is yourself. You define who you are, not what is or isn't wrong with you.
out of interest would you find the terms "!!!!!!,or looney" offensive?0 -
i also have diabetes and find diabetic offensive and would never use that word,like epileptic its a word that tries to define you and i would never let a condition or illness define me as a person
John, please can I ask why you find "diabetic" offensive.? and what do you think diabetics should be called thanks .......0 -
-
if someone says"john is diabetic" then i feel they are using the term to define me,if they say "john has diabetes"then they are explaining a condition i have
That sounds like just word play. As far as I am concerned both statements mean the same thing. I suppose I can't say John is a man as that is defining you but I can say john has male characteristics. Utter bunkum.0 -
Thought shower? Really?
That just conjures up a mental image of a bunch of [strike]people[/strike] middle managers sitting under a rain cloud talking crap and getting wet. Like waiting for the bus on a Monday morning in November.
Meh, The Disabled is the one that irritates me the most. I am not The Disabled. I am a person who is peed off you've put so much crap on the corners and middles or the aisles of your supermarket that I can't get round easily and you are creating trip, crush and fire hazards.
I think it's annoying when the name of a medical condition is used to define the person, that they are the medical condition and nothing else. It's depersonalising them. Makes it flaming awkward when you have more than one medical condition as well, as you could end up as the-bipolar-arthritic-hypermobile-asthmatic-allergic-fasciitic-apnoeic when all you want is someone to let you sit down whilst you wait because you're knackered after struggling up that flight of stairs because the escalator's out of order.
But meanings and intentions in words change all the time, it's the great thing about the English language the way you can use a hundred different words and phrases to describe something or someone. It's how half the phrases or words ended up being used to describe a particular condition in the first place. Something was crippled by injury or illness, that became 'the cripple over there', the original context became 'the project was crippled by spiralling costs' and somewhere along the line, the noun became the lairy bird with crutches at the concert grinning and going 'there any seats for a raspberry, love?' to the bouncer.
Having a fit doesn't always mean having a seizure. A stroppy person can do something mean in a fit of pique. Having forty fits at the state of the bedroom doesn't mean having a seizure, it means the state of the 12 year old's bedroom is so appalling that they are lucky if they ever leave the room again.
Spitting feathers doesn't mean someone has the delusion that they are a domestic cat.
Brainstorming doesn't mean having a seizure. It may have done once upon a time. It doesn't now and frankly, the context is wrong - a seizure wouldn't lead to sharing a whole bunch of ideas about a problem in a group and hopefully getting something useful out of it in the end. The meaning and usage of the word has changed so significantly that it is unrecognisable from the earlier attempt to explain the patterns of electrical activity in the brain. It probably doesn't even have the same root - it sounds more like someone trying to describe ideas coming in flashes of inspiration, like lightning.
So, I suppose I have problems with names/descriptors of conditions/symptoms being used as names for people as a means of categorising them by others, as it is very easy for any name to be used as a term of abuse - like cretin, mongol, !!!!!! or, my number one on the Tightfisted Offence Scale - flid.
Dunno. It's tricky. But it's the intention behind the word that I'm looking at, not the word itself, I suppose.I could dream to wide extremes, I could do or die: I could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go by.Yup you are officially Rock n Roll0 -
My husband as severe epilepsey, often resulting in hospital admissions, when the 999 crew come out they always nick name epilepsey as "disco dancing"...........
We dont take offence, they always do a brilliant job and hubbys health is their top priority to them...........
Im diabetic and dont mind being called a "diabetic", or dont mind being called this woman suffers from "diabetes"......its the same word,doctors call it either way..........0 -
My husband as severe epilepsey, often resulting in hospital admissions, when the 999 crew come out they always nick name epilepsey as "disco dancing"...........
We dont take offence, they always do a brilliant job and hubbys health is their top priority to them...........
Im diabetic and dont mind being called a "diabetic", or dont mind being called this woman suffers from "diabetes"......its the same word,doctors call it either way..........
I used to work with someone who called himself Shakey. I assumed it was an abbreviation of his surname, but in fact he was epileptic. In calling himself this he made his condition accessible, nobody was afraid of the subject. Far better than people walking on eggshells in case they offend.0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 352.1K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 454.2K Spending & Discounts
- 245.1K Work, Benefits & Business
- 600.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.5K Life & Family
- 258.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards