[word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]rdly

Posted by Smokey Stover on October 19, 2004

In Reply to: No wonder... posted by Word Camel on October 18, 2004

: : : : : : A friend from the UK just brought me a newspaper clipping that says "Bedlam", "nitpicking" and "brainstorm" among others) have been outlawed in in goverment work places because they might offend someone?

: : : : : Weird. Bedlam I can understand. But I don't see how nitpicking and brainstorm could offend anyone.

: : : : "Nitpicking" because it supposedly refers to the nits in the hair of slaves (a variation on th edubious nitty gritty theme), and "brainstorm" because it might offend mentally ill people.

: : : : All this would be terrible not least because it is necessary to have access to the term "bedlam" when dealing with the UK civil service.

: : : : I'm also wondering whether, if someone were seriously mentally ill, whether there might be many other words one would find offensive - like "door knob" or "egg whisk" or "mustache"?

: : : I'm deeply offended that you said do*r kn*b, and I may sue. But "brainstorm"? Perhaps they thought it was "bra in storm," meaning rained-upon undergarments. Eh? Potentially offensive?

: : Some fairly highly placed official was recently forced to resign for using the word "[word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]rdly" in some speech he gave... God help us. The PC stormtroopers are at the gate.

:
: Terry Pratchett portrayed T Blair as vampire...

[word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]rdly. It happened in the U.S., and I don't think anyone resigned. Some official in Philadelphia was commenting on the stinginess of the budget he was given, and two of his subordinates misunderstood the word "[word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]rdly" to be racist. They were, of course, and I think they got some civil rights organization interested. But reporters soon disabused the complainers of their notions about "[word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]rdly," and the publicity made the complainers look like idiots. You can find your way to the complete story by consulting Lexis-Nexus or the N.Y. Times Index. SS

[word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]rdly, part deux. Smokey Stover 19/October/04
- [word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]rdly, part deux. Word Camel 19/October/04
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  - [word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]rdly, part deux. Gary 19/October/04
    - [word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]rdly, part deux. Word Camel 19/October/04
      - [word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]rdly, part deux. Gary 19/October/04
        
        For what it's worth Word Camel 19/October/04
        
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