Council bans brainstorming .

A council has banned the term "brainstorming" and replaced it with "thought showers".




Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in
Kent was accused of taking political correctness to extremes after
instructing staff to make the change.The move came as council chiefs feared the word brainstorming might offend mentally ill people and those with epilepsy.The buzz term is often used by executives to generate ideas among their staff.

But
memos have been sent to staff asking them not to use it and some have
been given training which encouraged them to use the alternative of
thought
showers.Even charities representing epileptics said the ban was taking
political correctness too far.Margaret Thomas, of the National Society
for Epilepsy, said: "Brainstorming is a clear and descriptive phrase.
"Alternatives such as thought shower or blue-sky thinking are ambiguous
to say the least. "Any implication that the word brainstorming is
offensive to epileptics takes political correctness too far." Richard
Colwill, of mental health charity SANE, said: "This ban goes too far.
Few would be genuinely offended by the word brainstorming in the
context
of council meetings." A spokesman for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
in Kent said: "We take diversity awareness very seriously. "The
majority of staff have taken part in training and been asked to use the
term thought showers."


You could not make it up eh.