Ofcom have cleared Piers Morgan for saying on GMTV he doesn't believe a word MM says

Shropshirelass

I am glad he has been cleared, I actually like how outspoken he is and I also agree that M was not telling the truth in her interview, her body language was telling all.

So you are stating not telling the truth in her interview, her body language was telling all. as a fact not an opinion. Could you let me know what your qualifications are for this?

Alegrias1

I can't believe that you are trying to conflate the insulting use of a word for women with adoption of words like pyjamas .

I'm not interested in your links Had enough of experts, have you?

Maybe the language used in the area you come from is derogatory and you just didn't know it? There's a word for gypsies in the area I come from that we all used to use but we don't use it any more because its derogatory . Sheesh.

But you carry on with your lived experience.

Yes thank you for your permission, I intend to carry on with my lived experience for as long as I can.

FannyCornforth

I love the Cambridge dictionary’s list of ‘Kinds of Women’!
When I was a teenager, wench was used a lot.
I’m beginning to think that where I’m from (the Black Country) we must have a lot of archaic words in our vernacular

I thought we came from the same area, yes wench is a word you don't hear alot. I'm in the south west now, I used to get confused when people asked how the maid was. To me a maid was a servant but no, they meant my daughter.

Ofcom did not say you could go round saying what you like. As I keep saying, it is not that you are "entitled" to an opinion, more the case that no one can stop you from having one (without some very nasty things being done to you and they are currently illegal).

Voicing your opinion is another thing entirely and the Ofcom report was far from one-sided. They said:

This was a finely-balanced decision. Mr Morgan’s comments were potentially harmful and offensive to viewers, and we recognise the strong public reaction to them. But we also took full account of freedom of expression. Under our rules, broadcasters can include controversial opinions as part of legitimate debate in the public interest, and the strong challenge to Mr Morgan from other contributors provided important context for viewers.

They were saying the broadcaster got away with this because Morgan was strongly challanged. On another day with a less challenging debate, they would not have done so.

I can't believe that you are trying to conflate the insulting use of a word for women with adoption of words like pyjamas .

I'm not interested in your links Had enough of experts, have you?

Maybe the language used in the area you come from is derogatory and you just didn't know it? There's a word for gypsies in the area I come from that we all used to use but we don't use it any more because its derogatory . Sheesh.

But you carry on with your lived experience.

FannyCornforth

I love the Cambridge dictionary’s list of ‘Kinds of Women’!
When I was a teenager, wench was used a lot.
I’m beginning to think that where I’m from (the Black Country) we must have a lot of archaic words in our vernacular

Then along comes someone who decides a perfectly normal word has a different meaning and hey presto! it gains in popularity and is added to the Dictionary of Offensive Words or words which acquire a new meaning, their origins lost in the mists of time.

I love the Cambridge dictionary’s list of ‘Kinds of Women’!
When I was a teenager, wench was used a lot.
I’m beginning to think that where I’m from (the Black Country) we must have a lot of archaic words in our vernacular

theworriedwell

FannyCornforth

What does it actually mean though?

It just says that it’s ‘a contemptuous term for a woman’. Who says? Where is the contempt derived from? (I hope I’m making sense here.)

If it’s just another word for woman, why is it not acceptable?
Are there any ‘contemptuous terms’ for a man?

In Arabic it means a girl or a daughter. It can be used in a name to denote you are the daughter of and then father's name. So you might be Leila bint Abdul, or Leila daughter of Abdul.

Apparently it is not acceptable because someone decided that without consulting all of us.

It is also an English surname, probably of Ango-Saxon origin.

Just because someone decides a word is offensive when it never has been for hundreds of year doesn't mean it necessarily is in all contexts.

I am glad he has been cleared, I actually like how outspoken he is and I also agree that M was not telling the truth in her interview, her body language was telling all.

Alegrias1

^apparently it is not acceptable because someone decided that without consulting all of us.^

Yep, all those compilers of dictionaries decided not to run their decisions part GNers first

dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bint

www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bint

www.dictionary.com/browse/bint

www.yourdictionary.com/bint

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bint

Yes I will ignore my lived experience and do as I'm told by internet search.

apparently it is not acceptable because someone decided that without consulting all of us.

Yep, all those compilers of dictionaries decided not to run their decisions part GNers first

dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bint

www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bint

www.dictionary.com/browse/bint

www.yourdictionary.com/bint

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bint

FannyCornforth

What does it actually mean though?

It just says that it’s ‘a contemptuous term for a woman’. Who says? Where is the contempt derived from? (I hope I’m making sense here.)

If it’s just another word for woman, why is it not acceptable?
Are there any ‘contemptuous terms’ for a man?

In Arabic it means a girl or a daughter. It can be used in a name to denote you are the daughter of and then father's name. So you might be Leila bint Abdul, or Leila daughter of Abdul.

Apparently it is not acceptable because someone decided that without consulting all of us.

Moolah refers to money and is again a word we borrowed from the wider world due to colonisation and the military occupation of other countries. Go to Fiji and tell them there is known origin of moolah. We have imported many words over time, pyjamas, bungalows etc.

I'm not interested in your links, my BIL is an Arab and he tells me it doesn't just mean daughter, it can be used for daughter or a young woman. As a patronym it denotes daughter of. British soldiers in Egypt started using the word and it came into use in England. In the area I grew up in it was not used in a derogatory way, FannyCornforth seems to have had a similar experience. I don't need a link to tell me how language is used in the area I come from.

What does it actually mean though?

It just says that it’s ‘a contemptuous term for a woman’. Who says? Where is the contempt derived from? (I hope I’m making sense here.)

If it’s just another word for woman, why is it not acceptable?
Are there any ‘contemptuous terms’ for a man?

Oh no! I’ve just read the definition linked by Alegrias.
I’ve already been called ‘disparaging’ on another thread this very morning!
(Ergo, I am a disparaging bint)

Did you look at the link I posted? I picked out out of many but they all said it was derogatory. Its also the Arabic word for daughter, but I don't think that all these people using it to refer to women they think are no better than they should be are quoting Arabic to show their admiration and knowledge for that language and culture.

Moolah, incidentally, is of unknown origin and is not used to refer to people. Unless you know different.

FannyCornforth

I didn’t know that it was considered offensive.
I’ve always liked the word. A little bit cheeky and archaic.
I’ve referred to myself as a bint quite often, but now I learn that I’m more than likely too old to be one!

Maybe we come from the same part of the country. It's funny how people assume words are always used in the same way in all areas.

I didn’t know that it was considered offensive.
I’ve always liked the word. A little bit cheeky and archaic.
I’ve referred to myself as a bint quite often, but now I learn that I’m more than likely too old to be one!

Alegrias1, if you have a look at what I said I wasn't talking about people from your dad's generation using colourful descriptive names for people, I was talking about them using a word from a local language. As I went on to say it could be regional as when I was a teenager it wasn't used in a derogatory way, it was a word used to mean a young woman.

Have you ever heard money referred to as moolah? Just the same thing, using a word from another language as a slang word here. Or do you think it is rude to call money moolah?

theworriedwell

I believe bint is originally from the Arabic and British soldiers used it to refer to women. Many people seem to see it as rude, I think it depends where you are as where I am from in the 60s it was just a reference to a young woman.

The people from my dad's generation had lots of colourful descriptive names for the people they met in foreign parts whilst in the services. Just because they thought they were acceptable then doesn't mean they are not considered rude now.

www.dictionary.com/browse/bint

icanhandthemback

*MerylStreep*, I stand corrected. I remembered an investigation of him re insider dealing and got muddled.
theworriedwell, I don't watch him but unfortunately others in our house do so it was difficult to miss as everyone was home during the pandemic thus I got to hear him shouting over the politicians.

So perhaps you weren't aware he was shutting them down when they started to answer a question he hadn't answered?

I believe bint is originally from the Arabic and British soldiers used it to refer to women. Many people seem to see it as rude, I think it depends where you are as where I am from in the 60s it was just a reference to a young woman.

Chewbacca

What is Prince Harry's bint? And who is Melissa Messenger? Sorry to sound dense... I have no tv.

Somebody being deregotary unnecessarily.

MerylStreep, I stand corrected. I remembered an investigation of him re insider dealing and got muddled.
theworriedwell, I don't watch him but unfortunately others in our house do so it was difficult to miss as everyone was home during the pandemic thus I got to hear him shouting over the politicians.

Hmmm.... ok, thanks MissA.