To think people are routinely mis-using the word PROUD?

[higligioid]

The Oxford English Dictionary definition of the word Proud is to feel "pleased and satisfied about something that you own or have done, or are connected with."

But I've been noticing for a while that people often subtly misuse it in a way that makes them sound very patronising. For example, on Sunday Lisa Nandy told Andrew Marr that she was very proud of the young people at the BLM protests. This would suggest to me that she regarded those young people as her protégés, and felt some ownership of their behaviour. If she had said she was proud to support the BLM movement herself, that would have been fine, but to say she was proud of the protesters just sounded wrong. Their parents, teachers and influential leaders of the BLM movement might be justified in being proud of them, but not some random politician who just happens to agree with their cause.

AIBU?

I dislike people using it this way, as they do not belong to her. It's like when people say "well done to all those who clapped", who made them the boss?!
You can be proud of yourself, proud of your children, or if you are a teacher, proud of your class. But being proud of people you dont know is wrong.

Spot on TabbyMumz.

Glory theifs

I think we know what she means. She is connected in that we are all one society. In the same way you can be ashamed that your country has systemic racialism, you can be proud that there are people protesting against it.

I do know what she means Pipandmum. But she is still mis-using the word.
She can legitimately be proud that there are people protesting, but not proud of the people protesting. Do you see the difference?

And here's another example from the other side of the House of Commons. A few minutes ago on the Today programme (Radio 4) the Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was proud of Marcus Rashford.

Once again, this is misuse of the word proud. Matt Hancock can be proud to agree with Rashford, and can be proud that his government has taken action, but unless he personally encouraged Marcus Rashford to get involved in the campaign he has no right to feel proud of him.

I heard that as well.... cringe! Sounded massively patronising.

Absolutely agree, this has always been a bugbear of mine. It is usually spoken by people who have had zero input to the achievement of something, but who are keen to align themselves in some way to the associated glory.

And actually referred to him as Daniel Rashford!!!! Sooooo proud he doesn't even know his name!

Maybe she's just given you a massive insight to how she views her role as a politician. A lot of them do think they are superior to the common hordes and in that case to her proud is correct. The young people are hers to be proud of.

Happy sigh. I'm not alone.

The new Amazon advert has a woman on it saying she is proud "of what they have achieved" presume she means her colleagues. I would never say I was proud of my colleagues, because I'm not their boss.

You are absolutely right. I find it bizarre.

My daughter (aged then about 16) wrote on a card to her favourite teacher that she (my daughter) was "so proud" of her (the teacher). I didn't have the heart to point out that it didn't sound right, as it was so well meant and I knew the teacher would appreciate it anyway. But she meant she felt gratitude and respect and affection - not pride! The teacher's mum, or boyfriend, or head teacher might have felt that, not one of her pupils. Since then I see and hear it used everywhere, in this odd sense.

People misuse proud about as much as people misuse "vile" on here and in real life.

There has been a constant culture of word inflation in this country for years now, to the point where many words are losing their original meaning

YANBU

This annoys me so much, I'm glad it's not just me. Facebook is terrible for it.

"pleased and satisfied about something that you own or have done, or are connected with."

Or are connected with.

I guess it depends how you define 'connected'

connect somebody/something (with somebody/something) to notice or make a link between people, things, events, etc. synonym associate There was nothing to connect him with the crime. I was surprised to hear them mentioned together: I had never connected them before.

That's just copy and pasted from the Oxford learners dictionary, so I guess so long as you are in someway connected, such as people being connected to the blm protests in terms of they agree with it, or being connected to a political party then they are well within the originally definition of proud to say they are proud of things happening within or for that movement/political party.

I think people often use the word “proud” when they actually mean “impressed.”

I guess I never thought about it as an ownership thing but more an immense satisfaction/solidarity connection of a common cause thing. People use the word all the time eg.

“I’m proud of my country”
“I’m proud of how hard my parents worked to provide for us when we were younger”
“I’m proud of our armed forces”
“I’m proud of the way my friend has overcome a hard breakup”
“I’m proud of my generations concern about climate change”
“I’m proud of our contribution to science”
“I’m proud of the fact that we have achieved this or that”
“I’m proud of our beautiful countryside”

I guess technically the word proud means something else but I never saw it as a patronising or ‘glory thieving’ thing but just a word that connotes a more intimate level of admiration I guess.

you can only take pride in your own achievements, not anyone else's. Nor can you take pride in your country of birth or your looks, and neither are subjects for praise from anyone else. Especially not looks - no-one ever did anything to affect those.

It's just the progression of language.

I agree with SomewhereInbetween1. Language changes over time. If it didn’t we’d all be speaking Medieval English. Stop being so pedantic. There are far worse things in this world to be concerned about - especially in our current crisis!

Language does change over time, but that doesn't mean we have to let it change without comment. Everyone is pedantic about something - people just draw their lines in different places.

If you look at the full entries in various dictionaries they give almost the exact examples that this thread thinks are wrong.

The Oxford English Dictionary
The Cambridge English Dictionary
Collins
Merriam-Webster.

All wrong.

Maybe.