So people sit in a room waiting for someone to say something, and then try to pull their words apart. Sad sad world. Plus hindsight is a wonderful thing.

What’s wrong with using a descriptive word? The PC world is going mad.

A highly PR-savvy person uses the word “swarm” which has negative connotations (most people will think of locusts) and you think it wasn’t done deliberately? Don’t be so naïve.

So some of us think it’s innocent or reasonable or not worth bothering about.

Others think different. Including Harriet Harman.

So some of us think it’s innocent or reasonable or not worth bothering about.

You may think it’s reasonable and/ or unimportant. But to suggest that it is a neutral term, and not chosen quite deliberately is exceptionally naïve.

Others think different. Including Harriet Harman.

Harriet Harman is a complete muppet though. And she’s just pursuing her own tediously predictable agenda. Lets be very vocal about the silly little things that preoccupy the witless, humourless gibberings of North London Guardianista’s, while studiously ignoring the huge multitude of great big **** off elephants sat in the room that they’re too terrified to even think about, never mind talk about.

ransos – Member
You may think it’s reasonable and/ or unimportant. But to suggest that it is a neutral term, and not chosen quite deliberately is exceptionally naïve.

Your patronising is getting irritating. This is your opinion only, not fact – try and realise there is a difference 🙄

binners – Member
Harriet Harman is a complete muppet though.

My point exactly!

Your patronising is getting irritating. This is your opinion only, not fact – try and realise there is a difference

You’re free to believe that a PR-trained and savvy PM wouldn’t carefully consider his choice of language on this issue. I’m free to believe that you’re either naïve or obtuse.

I’m with Al and a few others on this. It’s a term used by many folk to describe the way that people move en masse. Folk reading something pejorative into it are simply displaying their own prejudices and pre-conceptions.

I’m with Al and a few others on this. It’s a term used by many folk to describe the way that people move en masse. Folk reading something pejorative into it are simply displaying their own prejudices and pre-conceptions.

If you asked a random group of people to do word association for “swarm”, most will say “locusts”.

ransos – Member
I’m free to believe that you’re either naïve or obtuse.

You’re also free to not use personal insults.

If you asked a random group of people to do word association for “swarm”, most will say “locusts”.

Proof?

How many dictionary definitions do not refer to the term being used with people?

And of course you have evidence to support this – a survey you can link to perhaps?

Personally, I’d have thought bees would have been more likely from a UK perspective.

(stolen from another website)

Cynic-al was on the way to the pub, when he encountered a group of black men outside the job centre.

“Why!” He remarked out loud, “What a swarm of indigent swarthy foreigners has arrived in my neighbourhood!”

Luckily, everyone had read the dictionary and no unfortunate interpretation of his words was possible, and everyone laughed.

That’s just offensive, now I’m racist?

And of course you have evidence to support this – a survey you can link to perhaps?

Why would I do that? It’s given as a dictionary definition, and as we all know, dictionary definitions are the only meaning that language has.

See also mob, pack, rabble, horde.

Waiting for the link to that survey….. you know, the independent proof that it’s not just your own prejudices reinforcing this for you.

That’s just offensive, now I’m racist?

“Luckily, everyone had read the dictionary and no unfortunate interpretation of his words was possible, and everyone laughed.”

Can I just check, this is the same Harriet Harman who, in the name of free speech, defended the work of the Paedophile Information Exchange?

Personal insults, I’m out.

I must say I thought locust.

Regardless of whether or not you think it’s offensive/inappropriate there are some people who have found it a bad word for the situation. If he had simply said “group of people” or “gathering of people” there’d be no problem. Surely it’s better to use something that’d cause no offence at all to anyone and focus on the actual problem?

I’m with ransos that Cameron probably used this word knowing the connotations it has in order to garner support for sending them back and keeping them out. And Harman saw this word and completely missed the point of her role as leader of the supposedly centre-left opposition.

I’m not usually Mr PC but using unfortunate wording to help breed contempt for vulnerable people is exactly why political correctness now exists. While the average STW member, like cynic-al or scotroutes, is intelligent enough to know what the exact definition of “swarm” is the average member of the public probably isn’t.

Having spent three hours stuck on the slip road at Calais recently, I would suggest that the term (as MW noted earlier) is fairly accurate.

Good job the issue isn’t serious so that we can concentrate on one word. The mind boggles…..headlines, headlines…

Anecdote ? data

If he had simply said “group of people” or “gathering of people” there’d be no problem.

Or use a word that means the same as three words 😆

I can see your problem though – if you already have that connection in your mind it’s difficult to see that others don’t and you assume that everyone else makes the same connection.

But would anyone at all make that connection if he’d said something else? Surely no people making any connection is better than some people making a poor connection?

How do you describe a large group of jobworth PC bureaucratic ZMs scheming off your life?

An engarblement?

But if he doesn’t make the connection then you can’t assume he’d think anyone else would. You’re suggesting that every word/phrase we speak should be passed through some sort of committee/filter in order to make sure it doesn’t cause offence to anyone, anywhere in the world.

Ah, I getcha. I was being a bit slow there.

To be honest, having seen The Thick of It, I sort of think that they do plan almost every word in minute detail.

If you think “swarm” when used in this manner doesn’t have negative connotations then presumably you’d be down with “****” as a harmless take-all term for people from the Indian subcontinent.

And pighead, grim, and Adrian Mole think the Aussies have a unique problem with racism 🙄

Someone else projecting their prejudices onto others.

Someone else projecting their prejudices onto others.

No druidh, just raising a valid point, which instead of answering, you chose to avoid. If the cap fits….

If you think “swarm” when used in this manner doesn’t have negative connotations then presumably you’d be down with “****” as a harmless take-all term for people from the Indian subcontinent.

You presume wrongly.

Everytime I come on this site I read the most ludicrous stuff,but it makes me happy that I don’t have to deal with those people in real life,thanks zokes.

ransos – Member

If you asked a random group of people to do word association for “swarm”, most will say “locusts”.

i thought ‘bees’.

i like bees.

+1 for bees and for Scotroutes comments.

Who would be a politician? Crap pay, crap hours and this kind of BS to put up with. Meanwhile, there is a real humanitarian problem to deal with.

There we go you see. No one can see the inherent racism because they’ve had a cushy white upbringing. 😕

Oh, does this line of argument only work when we’re deriding a foreign country?

a real humanitarian problem to deal with.

Are you ill THM? Shouldn’t you be doing your “Send the Buggers Back” routine?

You presume wrongly.[/quote]For the avoidance of any doubt, that.

No I am fine thank, how about you? A bit off colour? Oops, crap choice of phrase.

Which routine is that again? If you read carefully I am much more on the side of free movement of people. So keep the point scoring accurate please.

And now you can’t even call a blairite a virus.

PC gone mad

I love the pretentious crap spouted on this website, it never ceases to amaze me how discussion can get to personal insults and calls of racism from the middle class white folks.

keep it up.

This all seems remarkably similar to “we’re not booing Goodes because he’s black, we’re doing it because we don’t like him”…

“Nah nah nah, we don’t mean it that way” 🙄

I thought swarm = bees too, or ants but I hate ants( hard workers though,) if pushed I’d have said wasps but locusts come a poor 4th. We don’t get many locusts in Yorkshire and anyway they come in plagues in my mind.

Personal insults, I’m out.

Well no, you interpreted that way. The irony seems to have passed you by…