OOI – take away the personalities involved – how could you describe having to sit/stand opposite a person with similar characteristics/behaviour as Ed Balls in a pc and acceptable manner?

Zulu – if someone said, ‘look at that guy, walks like a cripple’ would you say that was offensive and if so/if not how does that compare with DC’s comments?

LOLz at Zulu – that is the one of the few insightful things you’ve ever said about yourself. I think I have a much clearer idea of what kind of a person you are now. Jeez.

how could you describe having to sit/stand opposite a person with similar characteristics/behaviour as Ed Balls in a pc and acceptable manner?

Quite easily.

(Pokes head round door. Sees Z-11 get comprehensively pwned (auto-pwned, even!). Chuckles. Wanders off to see what’s going on elsewhere)

IHN – I am certain it was scripted. I do not believe he ever makes a non scripted remark.

Seriously? How would he know what questions may come up? Does he have a scripted answer for every question he may ever be asked? Well, if nothing else he must have an incredible memory.

Having watched the dating video now I’m home, I think it’s actually pretty disgusting (assuming it’s real) and at best it’s in pi$$ poor taste. It’s one thing making a silly comment like CallMeDave’s, it’s quite another to overtly mock someone like that.

Zulu – if someone said, ‘look at that guy, walks like a cripple’ would you say that was offensive and if so/if not how does that compare with DC’s comments?

Yes, its offensive – as was camerons comment, just as Diane abbots comment was Racist

was offence intended – question of fact

Was anyone offended? question of fact

is it a problem if anyone is offended? no

Should we single people out and bully them with personally offensive comments to delibaretly upset them? no, that would be deliberate oppression and bullying, thats not the same as making comments in public that could cause someone offence, that are directed against a particular person or group.

I don’t demand people should be sacked every time they offend someone -Just like I don’t call for Franke boyle to be sacked every time he makes an offensive joke, and just like I don’t think that Diane Abbot should be sacked for making a comment that, like it or not, was racist, any more so than I think Alen Hansen should have been in trouble for using the word coloured – for me to do so would be applying double standards.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTF-cyYOfUc&feature=related[/video][

DD – yes? It was a serious question!

Any number of ways thm.

“I find him incredibly annoying. He keeps making that flatlining gesture every time I get up to speak. I wish he’d contribute something positive instead of making the same old gestures over and over again.”

And to be honest, hundreds of other ways.

We know why Balls does it. It winds him and Gideon up. Sometimes (and you may not believe me, but I really do believe this) it makes him lose his cool and he shows that there’s somebody who finds it quite easy to be nasty, patronising and personal underneath the exterior.

do these threads ever evolve into higher level discussion about root cause of these problems, some social commentary or solutions? or do you rely on others to spoon feed you your opinions?
all you do is tear strips off each other and argue over trivia and semantics.
I’m out.

It just doesn’t flow though does it!!

TV, Twitter, Interviews etc – just shows that they are all minefields. Who would want to be an MP?

Zulu-Eleven – Member

is it a problem if anyone is offended? no

Take care in the work place then Z11. The legal stance in that area is quite clear whether anyone likes it not.

Zulu-Eleven – Member

“Why are you so desperate to defend someone making a joke about a disability”

Because I support freedom of speech, which includes the freedom to offend, and the freedom to ridicule and take the piss out of anyone.

So actually you think Abbotts comments and Camerons are perfectly acceptable then?

you really are a massive hypocrite.

Yep

Cameorns comment was offensive to people with tourettes (no examples of anyone who actually was offended mind, they problably took the view that it wasn’t a big deal!)and Abbots comment was racist!

Where’s the hypocrisy there?

the only hypocrisy would be if I said one wasn’t offensive, and the other was…

I’m out.

Cheerio.

TV, Twitter, Interviews etc – just shows that they are all minefields. Who would want to be an MP?

I think we know how you feel about Twitter thm 😛

I’m with you though, they’re a minefield. As for who’d want to be an MP? Take a look at the crop we have now – actually, I’m wrong there, I’m sure there are many on both sides who are principled and there because it’s what they want to do. However, these ones seem to get sidelined in favour of the more “presentable” ones. I think you probably know what I’m saying.

DD – I think we agree. Is “political” used in the same way as “professional” when fouling in football?

I think you could be on to something there. 🙂

All this ‘taking offence’ is amazingly narcissistic – we’re so self absorbed with our own feelings – like children who must be prevented from upset and insulated from other peoples views. I consider it creeping linguistic fascism. If we’re not careful all communications will be rendered inexpressive, banal & stilted. Yes our sensibilities will be unruffled, but Jesus wept it will be boring.
Irrespective of his policies, I guess Cameron of all people knows of the reality of caring for a disabled child.

Couldn’t aggree more.

OK so. How about context? Abbott was on twitter and off the clock, which is informal, space-constrained and conversational. Cameron was giving an interview as Prime Minister. Difference? No difference?

Zulu-Eleven – Member

Just like I don’t call for Franke boyle to be sacked every time he makes an offensive joke

Would that not be a bit like calling for a plumber to be sacked for doing some plumbing?

We know why Balls does it. It winds him and Gideon up.

Sometimes (and you may not believe me, but I really do believe this) it makes him lose his cool and he shows that there’s somebody who finds it quite easy to be nasty, patronising and personal underneath the exterior.

Aren’t we all?
These comments say more about balls than anyone else. He’s a person who is very, very difficult to
Iike.
I don’t condone CMDs comment AT ALL, balls would make me rather nasty if I had to look at him every day.

Aren’t we all?

No. We’re not all the PM either.

These comments say more about balls than anyone else.

I’m no fan of his either but no, they say more about Cameron and how easy it is for him to turn into Mr. Nasty.

I taught a kid with tourettes today, god its annoying and sometimes I do loose patience with him but I would never, ever take the piss on the grounds of his disability, because firstly I like to think I’m an all round nice bloke and secondly and more pertinent to this thread I have a professional responsibility to be careful about what I say. Cameron should have no excuse for what he has said. Abbot was making a point and in context it was fair enough but poorly expressed and she should know better. Cameron was trying to take the piss out of someone by using a negative image of anothers disability, all well and good amongst mates in the pub, but not when doing official business of the government. Neither are the end of the world tbh and butt **** the poor is his more odieous trait.

I think David Cameron will know more about caring for people with handicaps, mental, physical or otherwise, than most of the people clamouring for his blood here.

The guy lost his son for crying out loud, a son who suffered from Cerebral Palsy and very severe form of epilepsy. He cared for him for six years before his death.

Really I think you should wind your necks in a little. None of you can teach him anything about care giving or loss unless you’ve been through something similar yourselves.

I think this means he should know better and demonstrates his remarkable lack of empathy tbh.

Fair play to you darcy. 5 minutes of ed balls and I’d be smashing his smug face off a curb stone. Fair comment that I’m not PM though (there’s a good reason for that!).

5 minutes of ed balls and I’d be smashing his smug face off a curb stone.

Fair play to me. I think it would take me ten minutes.