Swarms of people at Calais... Take 2

[LazyLouLou]

yes, I was an extremely rude and a bad poster. I called some people nasty names and didn't take into consideration that mentioning their race alongside my ire would be breaking the rules. However... Sunday Morning Live...

IABU to think that one person, A, ranting on about a politician using the word swarm, as though the word itself was in some way racist, is to miss the point about the refugee situation at Calais?

IABU to think that another person, B, telling A that they were being unreasonable and were missing the point was entirely reasonable?

AIBU to agree with B that likening the journalists in the camps to literary genius is ludicrous - B did not say anything, just looked stunned when A said "they are literally recreating Pilgrim's Progress".

AIBU to allow As woolly lefty utterance to derail my own usual left leanings so much that I have been shrieking at the telly in an almost deranged right wing manner: sticks and stones you stupid person? Get a grip on reality...

I know I was VVU in the way I first phrased all of that. But A was so very, very bereft of common sense and was so very, very full of pious mewlings.

The Calais situation needs action, not to be derailed by the use of one damned word... that has been suddenly redefined so as to give offense!

Pah!

[Samcro]

thread about a thread??

[ilovesooty]

I think I'd switch off TV and internet and go and have a cup of tea.

[EmeraldKitten]

The word swarm is appropriate. It IS a swarm of people. And like any swarm they're making a nuisance of themselves, whether white, brown or yellow.

I fail to see any racism.

[LazyLouLou]

Yes. My own. It was deleted because I was intemperate and crass when I typed it.

Is it also against the rules to realise, rephrase it and try again?

[howtorebuild]

What are the UK population being distracted from?

[DisappointedOne]

Swarm is a word that's related to insects, not people.

[LazyLouLou]

I should add I have no idea what responses it gained - though I can imagine. I went to put some washing on and when I came back it was gone.

I have no problem with that, it was very poorly worded.

[Kayden]

You're just asking to be deleted again.

[LazyLouLou]

Swarm is also a word that means 'to move somewhere in large numbers'. It is a metaphor, a simile, it is not in any way racist.

It is not the population that is being distracted, politicians are now having to rebut the stupidity of the allegations that 'swarm' is somehow worse than the situation in Calais. That Cameron needs to apologise for using the word, due to a stupid meeja storm, is distracting him.

The meeja and its mavens needs to get grip and stop pratting around with such ridiculous pretensions.

[LazyLouLou]

Why Kayden? I have removed all of the bits that were offensive.

[howtorebuild]

It's dehumanizing.

Why focus on migration, what is the government trying to distract the population from? I can think of one court case last week.

[Samcro]

www.thefreedictionary.com/swarm

[TTWK]

Swarm is a word that's related to insects, not people.

I heard descriptions of people swarming out of the tube station, or swarms of football fans. Nobody has batted an eyelid up until now.

You also here about people being herded down a side street, but no one complains that they are being compared to cows.

Ridiculous fuss over nothing, and I don't even like David cameron.

[Wantsunshine]

Can't see the issue with the word swarm. Seems to be used in line with the dictionary definition

[LazyLouLou]

So we get to ban all metaphors and similes in our yearning for total PCness do we?

As far as I am concerned it aptly describes the actions of the people involved Describes the scale of the problem and the chaos of it. It does not dehumanise the individuals, they are not described. And it certainly is not racist, given the make up of the horde of different peoples involved.

Or is horde also dehumanising....?

And again, it is a meeja construct....

[Jen1610]

YABU

[Samcro]

its a way of getting people to forget the real issue.

[lljkk]

I'm with TTWK. They behave like a swarm so they are a swarm.
People swarm into Next sales or after petrol when there's a threatened shortage.
Why talk so much about a word when there's a much bigger problem to fix?

[LazyLouLou]

No, that is part of my ire, TTWK.

Usually I wouldn't cavil at anything done to question Mr Cameron. But this is ridiculous, too obviously fabricated for titillation to be given credence.

Yet there it is... headlines and all!

[ghostyslovesheep]

I think you've totally misunderstood peoples objections to the word for starters

[Moreshabbythanchic]

It astounds me that people are getting more angry over the use of a word which was used in context of the large numbers of people clambering over and under barriers rather than getting angry about the real problem of what to do with these people.

Seems to me that a word is more important than people.

[Belleview]

Yes it's absurd to bicker about metaphors. But it's all we can do, since we are powerless to effect the real life situation, which is truly dire.

[DisappointedOne]

I've heard of "swathes" of people, never swarms.

[LazyLouLou]

Exactly, Moreshabby.

ghosts I don't think so, but what makes you say that?

[Sallyhasleftthebuilding]

Dont get the hype at all over a word. Theres a situation that needs sorting. These people are in France, and the french and britain need to get a grip and stop these camps, and human traficers.