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Author Topic: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower  (Read 3260 times)

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Offline CactusCarlos

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Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower
« on: June 20, 2008, 11:01:18 AM »
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2162568/Council-bans-brainstorming.html

Quote
Council bans brainstorming
By Nick Allen

Last updated: 2:06 PM BST 20/06/2008

A council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought showers".

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in Kent was accused of taking political correctness to extremes after instructing staff to make the change.

The move came as council chiefs feared the word brainstorming might offend mentally ill people and those with epilepsy.

The buzz term is often used by executives to generate ideas among their staff.

But memos have been sent to staff asking them not to use it and some have been given training which encouraged them to use the alternative of thought showers.

Even charities representing epileptics said the ban was taking political correctness too far.

Margaret Thomas, of the National Society for Epilepsy, said: "Brainstorming is a clear and descriptive phrase.

"Alternatives such as thought shower or blue-sky thinking are ambiguous to say the least.

"Any implication that the word brainstorming is offensive to epileptics takes political correctness too far."

Richard Colwill, of mental health charity SANE, said: "This ban goes too far. Few would be genuinely offended by the word brainstorming in the context of council meetings."

A spokesman for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in Kent said: "We take diversity awareness very seriously.

"The majority of staff have taken part in training and been asked to use the term thought showers."
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Offline Lord Undies

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2008, 11:07:32 AM »
I, like a whole host of people, am offended by bans on words preceived to be offensive.  Where is the action to curtail offensive banning so we don't have to be offended?  Are some offended more equal than others?  That idea in itself is offensive.
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Offline WinOne4TheGipper

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2008, 11:30:32 AM »
Works for me.  The closest these busy bodies come to brainstorming is a light drizzle, anyway.
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Offline Chris_

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought sh
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2008, 11:36:39 AM »
Doesn't "thought showering" sound sort of pornographic?

The Loony Left continues to make inroads into normal society.
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Offline Hawkgirl

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2008, 03:00:58 PM »
How many hours and how much time and money went into brainstorming in the boardroom to come up with this new lingo?  People need to stop taking themselves so seriously.... ::)
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Offline Chris_

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought sh
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2008, 03:09:51 PM »
Quote from: Hawkgirl on June 20, 2008, 03:00:58 PM
How many hours and how much time and money went into brainstorming in the boardroom to come up with this new lingo?  People need to stop taking themselves so seriously.... ::)
If someone takes a thought shower and I watch, am I guilty of being a peeping thought?
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Offline Ptarmigan

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2008, 06:42:03 PM »
How about a ban on political correctness. 
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Offline Duke Nukum

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought sh
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2008, 07:08:41 PM »
I think this might be actual footage from the council meeting, let's watch:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTens4i32b0[/youtube]
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Offline Lord Undies

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2008, 07:10:57 PM »
We must stop saying "Brainfreeze!" when we drink our Slurpees too fast.  It offends our brothers and sisters who are in a cyronic state.
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Offline Duke Nukum

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought sh
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2008, 07:19:30 PM »
Pretty much all words have to be outlawed because any combination of words may be offensive to certain groups of people while  other combination of words may be offensive to other groups.

This might be novel to some caped do-gooders but if I am offended by something, that is my problem and my choice to be offended.  If my happiness depends on what words others use I will never be happy because  I can't control other people.

Their reasons seem dodgy  because mentally ill people have bigger problems than what words a city council uses to come up with new ideas and I don't even get why people who suffer from epilepsy would object to an age old term for coming up with new ideas.  And doesn't banning phrases actually serve to decrease the holy grail of diversity?

DOCTOR!
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Offline Splashdown

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower
« Reply #10 on: June 20, 2008, 07:21:40 PM »
I think the council was being rather niggardly with their brain power when they came up with "thought showers."  :-)
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Offline Lanie

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower
« Reply #11 on: June 20, 2008, 08:44:23 PM »
I'm epileptic, and I've never given that term any thought.
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Offline Chris_

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought sh
« Reply #12 on: June 21, 2008, 10:34:33 AM »
Quote from: Splashdown on June 20, 2008, 07:21:40 PM
I think the council was being rather niggardly with their brain power when they came up with "thought showers."  :-)
Obviously they have many chinks in their thinking process.
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Offline Splashdown

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought sh
« Reply #13 on: June 21, 2008, 11:48:23 AM »
Quote from: freedumb2003 on June 21, 2008, 10:34:33 AM
Quote from: Splashdown on June 20, 2008, 07:21:40 PM
I think the council was being rather niggardly with their brain power when they came up with "thought showers."  :-)
Obviously they have many chinks in their thinking process.


I think the whole council should go in the Paddy Wagon. This really gets my Irish up.
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Offline Lauri

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower
« Reply #14 on: June 21, 2008, 03:11:23 PM »
Quote from: Hawkgirl on June 20, 2008, 03:00:58 PM
How many hours and how much time and money went into brainstorming in the boardroom to come up with this new lingo?  People need to stop taking themselves so seriously.... ::)


yeah... ya know what this shows me? they havent got squat to do to waste more of our time and money..

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Offline Zeus

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought shower
« Reply #15 on: June 21, 2008, 06:17:02 PM »
Tis a fine line between a brainstorm & a brainfart.
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Offline Chris_

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought sh
« Reply #16 on: June 21, 2008, 07:38:22 PM »
Quote from: Zeus on June 21, 2008, 06:17:02 PM
Tis a fine line between a brainstorm & a brainfart.
and a finer line between thought shower and golden shower
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Offline Zeus

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Re: Council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought sh
« Reply #17 on: June 21, 2008, 09:43:19 PM »
Quote from: freedumb2003 on June 21, 2008, 07:38:22 PM
Quote from: Zeus on June 21, 2008, 06:17:02 PM
Tis a fine line between a brainstorm & a brainfart.
and a finer line between thought shower and golden shower

Like my uncle used to tell me whenever I said "I thought". He said "You know what thought did don't you". "Thought he was going to fart & shit all over himself"  :evillaugh:
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It is said that branches draw their life from the vine. Each is separate yet all are one as they share one life giving stem . The Bible tells us we are called to a similar union in life, our lives with the life of God. We are incorporated into him; made sharers in his life. Apart from this union we can do nothing.
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