PC watch

Breaking new ground in PC idiocy, the town council in Tunbridge Wells, England has banned the use of the term 'brainstorming' in favor of 'thought showers'. Why, you ask? It was felt that 'brainstorming' might offend epileptics.

Brainstorming, first coined in the 1890s, was used by psychiatrists to refer to severe nervous attacks. And although since the 1940s it has meant a meeting to produce new ideas, councillors are concerned it may prove offensive to epileptics.

They should have checked first with the subject matter experts:

The National Society for Epilepsy said this was unlikely. It surveyed members three years ago to ask whether they found the phrase offensive.

Spokesman Amanda Cleaver said: 'The answer was a resounding No. It certainly wasn't deemed offensive at all. People thought it was a great word to describe the coming together and discussion of ideas.'

With so many people and special interest groups claiming to be chronically offended, why is it that some people feel the need to inform groups that they should be offended?