Friday, 11 November 2011

All Aboard The Outrage! Bus, Next Stop: Local Newspaper Publicity!

A councillor has apologised for using the word “mong” in a message posted on her Twitter site.

Julia Bricknell, a Liberal Democrat councillor for Abingdon Dunmore on the Vale of White Horse District Council, admitted she had been “naive” to use the word.
Given the furore that surrounded the Ricky Gervais kerfuffle, yes, she almost certainly was. And I’m not too sure what poor Eddie Jordan had done to deserve it anyway:
Miss Bricknell tweeted the message to her 43 followers, which include former Oxford West and Abingdon MP Evan Harris, on Saturday.

In the post she said: “Eddie Jordan is a mong.”
43 followers? She must be VERY new to Twitter!
Last night Miss Bricknell apologised and removed the message, claiming she did not know the true meaning of the word.

Miss Bricknell said: “I have been completely naive and I did not realise what it meant. I apologise to you and anybody that has seen it.

“I genuinely did not know what it meant. It was something I had heard between some friends of mine and thought it meant somebody silly.

“I would never intentionally say something like that.”
And there it should end, as even her political rivals concede:
Leader of the Conservative-run council, Matthew Barber, said the incident showed public figures should be careful about what they publish online.

Mr Barber added: “I think it goes against what many of their (Lib Dem) supporters might expect of them.

“If she takes it down and apologises I think everyone will understand it was an unfortunate throwaway comment.”
But of course, for some, this is never, ever enough.
…Paul Scarrott, from Oxford disability campaign group My Life My Choice, said it did not matter that she did not know what the word meant.

He said: “It should not let her off the hook. She should have looked it up in the dictionary.”
So, there you go, potential public representatives and others in the public eye; if you don’t want to run the risk of being a ticket to some free publicity for one of the many, many Legions Of The Perpetually Offended, don’t leave home without this:

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14 comments:

  1. Anonymous11 November 2011 at 15:39

    We used the word tube for a while. One wonders what the Mhong feel about it all or the Mongols? In Johnson's dictionary monsieur is defined as a term of rebuke applied to a Frenchman.

    ReplyDelete
  2. King Athelstan11 November 2011 at 15:53

    I have no dictionary which contains the word "mong". I haven't heard anyone with Downs being referred to as a "Mongol," since about 1980. The term "mong" has been in general use for years on completely unrelated terms, someone slavishly devoted to company rules was a popular use.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bucko11 November 2011 at 15:56

    "43 followers? She must be VERY new to Twitter! "

    Hay!
    I only have 30 odd :-(

    ReplyDelete
  4. Maverick11 November 2011 at 16:25

    www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mong
    Adj. Lacking in physical and cerebal ability. General retardation. Generally: a total spastic.

    ReplyDelete
  5. James Higham11 November 2011 at 16:27

    43 followers? She must be VERY new to Twitter!

    Or doesn't use it much, except to write to a lady on Friday?

    ReplyDelete
  6. A tweet writes11 November 2011 at 17:13

    Error in transmission. It actually said: "Eddie Jordan is among friends."

    Damn these odd spaces, and hitting send before ready.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Demetrius11 November 2011 at 17:15

    Have Essex Council set targets to ensure that all its districts are above average? If they succeed this would be very unusual.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous11 November 2011 at 17:30

    I laboured under the mistaken impression the condition arose as a result of intermarrying plods. Any slightly deficient cousins amongrelatives, Jaded?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous11 November 2011 at 19:08

    Once again Melvin you have turned a completely unrelated post into a dig against myself and my fine colleagues.Please up your medication or wait until the full moon passes before sitting at your keyboard again.
    Jaded

    ReplyDelete
  10. Captain Haddock11 November 2011 at 19:32

    I suggest that a viable alternative to "Mong" would be "Jodie" (as in McIntyre) .. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. microdave12 November 2011 at 15:16

    "She should have looked it up in the dictionary.

    Apparently, so should Ricky Gervais:
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2051938/Ricky-Gervais-admits-naive-offensive-remarks-Twitter.html

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lord T12 November 2011 at 18:09

    To be honest I'm less forgiving. As a politician she generates legislation that would have us jailed for similar 'mistakes'. When she builds that defence in for us plebs then she can use it. Screw her.

    I have no doubt she new exactly what a mong means in todays society.

    ReplyDelete
  13. JuliaM13 November 2011 at 05:49

    "We used the word tube for a while."

    Current term of abuse is 'special'. I wonder when someone'll get on their high horse about that?

    "The term "mong" has been in general use for years on completely unrelated terms, someone slavishly devoted to company rules was a popular use."

    Yup, as poor Gervais pointed out, before the Twittermob tore him to pieces.

    "Hay!
    I only have 30 odd :-("

    Stop blocking bots then... ;)

    "Or doesn't use it much, except to write to a lady on Friday?"

    :D

    ReplyDelete
  14. JuliaM13 November 2011 at 05:50

    "Error in transmission. It actually said: "Eddie Jordan is among friends.""

    LOL!

    "I suggest that a viable alternative to "Mong" would be "Jodie" (as in McIntyre) .. ;)"

    I love the way you think... :)

    "To be honest I'm less forgiving. As a politician she generates legislation that would have us jailed for similar 'mistakes'."

    Oh, I don't doubt it.

    ReplyDelete