Is O M G.. offensive

I’m a born again Christian and have to admit that although I don’t use it myself it doesn’t really offend me when others do. They use it as an expression of shock or surprise and I don’t think God comes into it at all.

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I don’t like it when people use it but I do use “Oh my days” just like oakapplerose does or I say “Oh my goodness”

I’m not offended by it at all and I’m a believer. I say it a lot and I don’t offend myself! All this political correctness is taking over to the point where we will all be scared to utter anything and start using sign language until that starts to offend the deaf people! or should I say aurally challenged?

I received a tirade of abuse recently from a woman who’s child who has Downs Syndrome because I just (by habit and without malice) mentioned that he was a Downs Syndrome child. She screamed at me that I was being offensive but in fact the awful names she called me and the filth that came out of her mouth was far more offensive, upsetting and hurtful than my innocent and uninformed mistake of which i apologised for. Like me, some people don’t mean to offend and would be horrified to know that they have.

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Well written, the words of sense and reason.
And ‘oh my gawd’, how long is this none sense discussion going to go on?

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The alternative to LOL would be PMSL but wont write what that means. I Personally do not take offense easily…is age a factor in this at all? Being a 27 year old non religious female, in the generation I have grown up in this is the norm, its text talk from the use of mobile phones and very few people of my age in my area being religious. On the other hand I completely accept how it would cause offense.

Had dinner on Saturday in a group of 8 where I was youngest.
We concluded it’s an age / generation thing. That the next generation down are far less offended by things which might offend us.
Nohing to do with Political correctness, just an expression I don’t like. I don’t do PC - that’s for the next generation/s down who are being brought up with it.
;As i suggested in my tongue in cheek intro to this none sense topic, must be my age / age of upbringing. I will continue to abstain from using expressions I don’t like. Each to his own.
xxxxxxx

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I’m confused. If a child has Downs Syndrome, how would that be offiensive to anyone if you use the name for it?

For the record, I have osteoarthritis and wont be at all offended if anyone calls me the bionic woman because of my metal hips :slight_smile:

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And my friend asked the other night if I was shrinking - which could be just plain offensive if I hadn’t agreed with her. :smile:

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I find all these text abbreviations highly offensive from a non-religious point of view.
I hate OMG and I think that might be the first time I’ve ever written it.
I cuss and swear like a navvy in person, but can’t do it in writing (unless I’m having a particularly bad day!) I don’t often “oh my God” as my mum hates anyone doing it.

And I do not LOL. Lolling is something one does on the sofa after a bad day! If you’re typing that you ‘laughed out loud’ you better have actually laughed out loud, or I will not be impressed.
And as for pmsl. Urgh. Do people not consider the mess…?!

(How old do I sound…?!)

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Although I am not easily offended, there have been quite a lot of cards and prints on the front page with bad language, offensive names for body bits and yesterday a card bearing the words Holy s…t , this doesn’t look very good for a selling site like Folksy.

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Increased use of offensive terms could also be due to the proliferation of social media, which implies anything goes. The media have a lot to answer for too.

There is also far less respect nowadays, generally of people in society, in my view.
This is evidenced on public transport, and elsewhere.
With that comes consequences for the younger generation, who will eventually have to teach their children how to behave, and respect others, or not.

I totally agree! It appears to be the fashion now to set out to shock people with excessive use of expletives.

And it seems it helps to get you on the front page and be made a featured seller.

Well, I for one will be sticking with my non-offensive family friendly items. So what if it means I never get to be a featured seller? I would rather not sell things that have to contain swear words to get them noticed.

The worst I have in my shop is a badge with the words ‘May the Seagull of Life Poop on Your Head’, which people like because is it gentle humour.

I can see Folksy being turned into somewhere where every other shop is full of profanities.

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I happened to mention that there is A Downs syndrome boy at the school where I work, Apparently I should have said he " HAS" Downs Syndrome. By saying "A Downs Syndrome " I was labelling him. She even said she would report the school I work at to the local authority and the local newspapers! Some people just get a little bit too offended I think.

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Who is this “committee” who decides exactly which terms / words we are allowed to use (at this moment in time but watch out it will be outlawed tomorrow). ?
I’m getting to the point of thinking we need a dynamically updated directory of acceptable / unacceptable words (oops can’t publish the unacceptable) so that we can keep a check to ensure we are not likely to get arrested for saying the wrong thing.
Signed
SRB = stark raving bonkers

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If I can assist here, as am qualified in the area of disability and equality, having been published and co-authored on Equality and Inclusive design.
In the past it was deemed normal and OK to say ‘The Deaf’, ‘The Blind’, ‘wheelchair-bound’, and similar.
The training and education approach now accepted by most , including many disabled people is to move away from labelling people as equivalent to “…the afflicted…” and now just saying ’ a deaf person, or ‘a person with a hearing -impairment’, or ‘…a wheelchair-user’, or person with a learning disabillity, or people with learning disabilities, etc.
This is part of the Social model of disability, which moves away from the Medical model of disability. With the Medical model, disabled people that have a problem accessing buildings, premises and facilities , well it’s seen as their fault for being disabled and need to get ‘fixed’ ! The Social model of disability changes all that, and it’s the facilities, policies, and buildings that need changing/adaptation to improve access. Quite right too.
So, by saying ‘A Down’s Syndrome’, you were inadvertently using a term that was equivalent to ‘the deaf’, ‘the blind’. ‘the afflicted…!’

I am sure you had no intention to cause offence, and might have been seen as a fuss about nothing, but it would be better to say that it was a boy with Down’s syndrome, or a person with learning disabilities.
Some have seen this change as political correctness. Perhaps some of it is, to a degree, but most disabled people want to be included in society, and treated with respect.
Having written a glossary on Equality and Inclusion a few years ago for a national institution, I had some problems deciding which terms to include, exclude and had differences of opinion with the co-author colleague. So it isn’t easy ! Only time will change people’s views and attitudes.

Well, if you want to get one up on her if she mentions he has Downs Syndrome again correct her and tell her it is Down Syndrome :slight_smile:

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But how was she supposed to know that she shouldn’t have used “A” ?

Joy,
There is no complete list of terms that I know of that has absolutely everything, and that comes from someone who has had published a glossary on Equality and Inclusion for surveyors, architects and engineers.

There are , however, several publications and sources that have terms and a mini glossary of terms, and perhaps a good starting point is the Equality and Human Rights Commission. (EHRC).
You can also contact The Access Association, which is a national body, and the Centre for Accessible Environments, (CAE) which is headed up by the new CEO, Jean Hewitt. I am sure she, or her staff would be happy to provide more info.

Not pretending this is an easy subject, - It wasn’t that long ago that it was seen as perfectly OK to discriminate against gays, black people, irish, Jewish people, and disabled people. The more modern terminology in respect of disabled people is part of embracing disabled people, and inclusion in society. It hasn’t been particularly well communicated to the public, in my view, so not surprised that there are some problems.

Hopefully, schools and the education system will teach the youngsters about The Social Model of disability, and when and how to refer to disabled people in a way that shows respect.

Even I get frustrated with some of the more obscure terms. It’s second nature to me, but not for many. If I hadn’t been in a career that covered this stuff, I would be like you and others, wondering what all the fuss is about.

Thank you Ronald. I’ll go back to making glass.

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My mother and my English teachers are the ones who have the right to correct how I speak, not some random group of people who may be well-meaning but have no right or mandate to speak for all.

I am anoyed when people deliberately try to change the meaning of words, or impose their own agenda over existing ones. The English language evolves naturally without any need to force it.

Ronald, I respect your professional position and the work you do, but if I want to use the words I am most comfortable with to describe something and those words are describing it accurately, neither you nor anyone else is going to stop me. Perhaps people should focus on the context, the tone of voice and a range of other things, rather than just the words being used. You can use the sweetest terms and still have a tone of someone who is being abusive.

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