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.

Raabs own father died of cancer when he was 12, so you can be sure it comes from a place of trying to reassure rather than being callous or insensitive as such.

John Diamond wrote very well on the this topic

Oh for goodness sake. It clearly doesn’t mean anyone who doesn’t survive is not a fighter, it’s just a bloody turn of phrase,

Boris being so ill is highly ironic. Im sure he appreciates it.

Not a great choice of phrase, I agree, but not extremely offensive either! Raab and Johnson are friends as well as colleagues. The guy is probably very upset by the situation on a personal level as well as politically, so give him a break, will you.

I too very much hope Boris pulls through this.

I totally agree with you OP. It was an extremely tone-deaf thing for Raab to say in public when thousands have already died due to his own government's initial inaction. C-19 doesn't give a fuck if about anyone's strength of character.

You do all realise that whether something is offensive is subjective don't you?

It is how the (recently bereaved) OP experiences it. It is how I (cancer patient) experience it.

Posting eye-rolling, huffy responses makes you sound like a cunt. Hope that helps.

Yanbu. It's the sort of trite nonsense best reserved for local peers.

Pspers

I think it's a dumb thing to say because nobody has the slightest idea if he will pull through or not.
It's best - when talking about the prime minister - to just keep it neutral rather than to make promises that can't be kept.
"The staff are doing all they can for him......he's currently stable......we'll keep you updated"
As a nurse I'd never say anyone is going to pull through because you could be sure the relatives would be looking for me if they didn't!

My best friend died of cancer last year. She found the 'fighter' stuff gave her inspiration, she'd often share memes and songs reflecting that. Dying doesn't imply she or anyone else didn't 'fight' enough, just that in a 'fight', you won't always win.

I agree OP. It’s up there with getting r sovereignty back and making America great again as entirely meaningless.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/07/horror-coronavirus-real-imaginary-war-britain

YABVU

Oh ffs. Yes it’s a shit phrase. But yes just a man. Fallible, sleep deprived, trying to achieve the near impossible right now.

Why must people pick on every tiny thing?

Posting eye-rolling, huffy responses makes you sound like a cunt. Hope that helps.
This

Why must people pick on every tiny thing?

Because it implies he is somehow different, special... whereas in fact he is getting treatment that you nor i wouldn't, any normal joe would have been told by 111 to stay at home and stop ringing!!! rushed to hospital only when gasping for breathe.
He has been in an ICU unit for two days, yet not needed any more treatment than if on a ward.

I'm sure lorry drivers having their limits "relaxed" are also sleep deprived and working nr impossible hours too.

It's an insensitive turn of phrase and implies people who died from cv or cancer etc didn't fight hard enough. I don't think it comes from a place of malice and is probably meant to reassure, but it's very insensitive.

I also hate it when people say that they have only recovered because they are a strong person, a fighter.... I know many people who have died from cancer and didn't survive.

It's a bit like that when they interview folk who've just become the world's oldest man/woman/person (not offensive, though - just bemusing). The reporters always ask them to what they attribute their long lives and they almost always reply something arbitrary like a daily glass of whisky, going to bed early etc. I've never yet seen one where they've answered "Genetics, staying out of trouble and a lot of random luck, probably".

I know there aren't that many questions that you can ask somebody when you're specifically interviewing them because of their longevity. You can hardly ask them about their work, exercise regime or future plans; they might as well have their moment of glory as they're unlikely to hold the position for very long

@sn0tnose go for a lie down Thanks for your suggestion. I considered several responses but eventually settled on the one with no suggestions of my own.

If you think my post was a bit too much, then perhaps you’d like me to describe to you how incredibly upset and hurt my wonderful, lovely terminally ill relative was, when it was suggested to her that she had to fight harder and not let it beat her? It was heartbreaking and, yes, it made her loved ones very angry, particularly as she was already feeling guilt and worry over things which she had no control. If you genuinely cannot understand how emotive something like this expression can be, then I hope that situation continues for you.

@sn0tnose sorry to hear about your friend.

Makes no difference to my opinion of the use of the phrase.

*apologies relative

@boli

You do all realise that whether something is offensive is subjective don't you?

It is how the (recently bereaved) OP experiences it. It is how I (cancer patient) experience it

Posting eye-rolling, huffy responses makes you sound like a cunt. Hope that helps

This thread has really brought home to me how much MN has changed in the last decade or so. Posters were more likely back then to take time to think why a poster might feel that way - now it seems that there's a significant number of posters wanting to score a cheap point or eye roll and put a total stranger down on the basis of very little.

It's sad, this has become a nastier place.

@havelockvetinari 😂

Btw I sincerely hope you are now on the road to recovery after your illness, I was laughing at your huffy comment and calling me a cunt. All the best