Is this word offensive

[Noidea2114]

Sorry can't link the news thread.
There was a scuffle on a football game and the pundit reporting described the scuffle as 'Handbags'.
He has now been suspended by the BBC.
Am I missing something why this is offensive.

@UsernameChat

It's not a the word itself that's offensive, it's the casual sexism that is offensive. It was right that he was suspended.

I disagree. A telling off or verbal warning would have been enough. I can't get worked up about the comment.

I'm more annoyed with the hysterical over reaction by the professionally offended.

In the past MEN carried handbags as well.
I think there are many more things to be offended with.

You should put your energy in to understanding why you think everyday sexism is ok.

I think it is everyday sexism and it’s right that he’s been pulled up. Not sure sacking is right though.

Thanks the the PP who mentioned the runs like a girl video. I’d not seen it before. I have a round DD and it was an interesting watch. Words are important.

A young DD I meant, not round.

This is the normalisation of casual misogyny - definitely offensive in my view.

@Othering

I do find it offensive. Its basically saying that behaving so pathetically that theyre like women. Its the same as saying runs like a girl. If you haven't seen the runs like a girl video, look it up and then come back and say its ok to use women and girls as derogatory insults.

Yep.

No, I don’t find it offensive. Handbags (at ten paces) conveys (to me) a meaning of inconsequential posturing as opposed to physical violence. Handbags have been status symbols for men and women over the ages. Plenty of other things to get worked up about.

I don’t find it offensive at all, i think it’s quite funny.

@Othering I am not missing the point at all. I don’t find this offensive, it has no meaning to me whatsoever.

It's used a lot in commentary of rugby matches. It's more used to say how it's all bluster but no intent to physically harm. It's such an old phrase but of course if the origins are offensive it should not be used. Education is always more important than solitary punishment.

Handbags is a term that's been used in football for years to mean a scuffle over nothing with no intention of hurting anyone, the implication being that they're behaving like women, so yes it's offensive.

No one uses it intending to offend and most would be shocked to learn it's offensive, having never considered the origin or meaning, but it is part of the everyday casual sexism thing.

@Sarjest

No, I don’t find it offensive. Handbags (at ten paces) conveys (to me) a meaning of inconsequential posturing as opposed to physical violence. Handbags have been status symbols for men and women over the ages. Plenty of other things to get worked up about.

Except that the saying originated no the 1980s when really, no heterosexual men were using "handbags as status symbols".

@AllThatIAmRoom101

It's only offensive because everyone has to be offended by everything these days. Bloody ridiculous. Cant believe he was suspended for that. Dont know what the world is coming to

^^ this Should be more offended that there are people starving in the world.

Should be more offended that there are people starving in the world.

I think we can probably manage to care about both. People used to say the same about all the racial slurs.

@Suzi888 people can care about casual sexism and starvation of people in the world.

@likeyouknow do they? where are all those mn threads then! NOWHERE that’s where! Feeling constantly ‘offended’ doesn’t help anyone.

[quote Suzi888]@likeyouknow do they? where are all those mn threads then! NOWHERE that’s where! Feeling constantly ‘offended’ doesn’t help anyone.[/quote]
I don't know if you're trying to say that the subject is not offensive, or if people should not be offended by anything? Sorry! Don't understand what you are trying to say!

I don't see what the problem is in saying something is offensive?

I wonder if there is anything else going on?

There has been several cases where someone is supposed to have been fired for something they said but then something else has happened that's not been reported.

Ok @BecomeStronger, we’ll agree to differ. You are suggesting that the connotations around handbags are predominately female and as such it is a slur on women. I am not. ‘Shame the OP didn’t put a vote on as she was asking whether we were offended and I said I wasn’t.