Boris will pull through because he's a "fighter"

[HavelockVetinari]

AIBU to find this extremely offensive? Are the thousands of people who've died of Covid dead because they just didn't fight hard enough?

Not acceptable, Raab.

It's a turn of phrase, stop looking to be offended.

It's a shit turn if phrase. Hate it just as much as when people use it about cancer survivors being fighters.

I hate that phrase. It's just nonsense.

I hate this phrase too, especially when people use it for those with cancer.

😂😂heard it all now

It doesn't offend me, but I hate it too

I also hate it when used about cancer - it's especially obtuse because most people will have lost someone to cancer, can they not hear themselves essentially saying those who died just didn't fight it?

I don’t particularly like the phrase but I don’t think it’s “extremely offensive” either.

It is a turn of phrase and a very very bad one. It is used frequently for people suffering from cancer and people are objecting to it all the time. It is the wrong phrase and implies that people who die did not fight hard enough. You dont fight this illness, you either die or recover. If you recover you are lucky and have had good medical care

Hate the expression too.

YANBU. It’s a thoughtless thing to say and I hate it.

I don’t like it either, it’s often used to describe cancer patients - it’s as if the people who die just haven’t tried hard enough

His words were poorly chosen, but as has been observed on other threads, he looked and sounded very much like he was trying to reassure himself about the whole business and just not thinking about how it came across. He seemed to be on the verge of tears.

It's quite annoying when people use it (same for cancer - I didn't survive cancer because I was a 'fighter', I survived it by a combination of turning up to all my appointments and luck!)

I wouldn't say its 'extremely offensive' though.

most people will have lost someone to cancer, can they not hear themselves essentially saying those who died just didn't fight it?

i have lost someone to cancer and I don’t think this is correct. At her funeral her partner spoke about how she had always been a fighter and bravely she had fought this tumour. I don’t think anyone read an implied message that she hasn’t fought hard enough.

It’s a turn of phrase and Raab was trying to reassure the country.

He's just trying to sound positive in what is a horrible situation.
I can't take offence at that - give the guy a break !

I doubt he thought that. He’s just trying to be reassuring and said the wrong thing. It’s just a phrase. With all that’s going on I couldn’t get worked up about it!

Hate it when it’s used with cancer too. Sometimes ‘fighters’ die, it’s luck of the draw a lot of the time.

It’s not offensive to me but it is very thoughtless and not a phrase I would ever use

It is a shut turn of phrase. I was a bit perplexed by a line I read in an article yesterday about Carrie Symon’s and how ‘nothing can compare’ to the pain she is going through right now. I was a bit . Of course it’s a terrible situation for her and I sympathise but people have actually lost loved ones in harrowing circumstances surely their pain is the one that can’t be compared to? I just thought it was a very insensitive and I’ll thought out phrase to use at a time like this.

It's an offensive and ignorant turn of phrase.

it is very thoughtless and not a phrase I would ever use

I agree completely

most people will have lost someone to cancer, can they not hear themselves essentially saying those who died just didn't fight it?

i have lost someone to cancer and I don’t think this is correct. At her funeral her partner spoke about how she had always been a fighter and bravely she had fought this tumour. I don’t think anyone read an implied message that she hasn’t fought hard enough.

I agree with this.

yanbu. it always sounds like people who don't live failed some how.
(hope he pulls through)

Oh for gods sake. MN and its professionally offended.

It’s a meaningless platitude.

I do feel like MNetters are on a different wavelength and this crisis has shown that more than ever. I think it’s time I left!