1 April 2006Render unto seizure
"Ideas shower" is in fact the new term for what was previously known as a "brainstorm". Brainstorm was ditched because it upset people with epilepsy. Or at least, it upset people who spend their time worrying about what might or might not upset epileptics.
Speaking as an epileptic myself, I never really thought of the term as offensive. That's because I've always interpreted it as a reference to an open-ended ideas meeting, not a derogatory reference to my unfortunate neurological condition. Of course, the modern method is to co-opt the word for yourself or your group:
In fact, now I come to think of it, I quite like the idea that my seizures might be referred to as brainstorms. It makes them sound cooler and more dramatic. Like the sort of thing a Marvel comic character might practise in order to summon up his superhuman powers. I can imagine myself alerting onlookers to the onset of an epileptic episode by bellowing: "Behold the might of my magnificent Brainstorm!" then passing out on the floor and twitching about for five minutes.
Certainly, brainstorm is a more agreeable way of referring to such incidents than, say, "'mongs", "moodies" or "spaz outs". Which latter is what I did when, while driving through southeast Pennsylvania, I passed by the facilities of Spaz Beverage Company. Posted at 4:04 PM to Say What?Here to save you from a fate worse than... ...a crappy tombstone. I once had a boss that called it 'barnstorming'...I wonder what group will get offended at that? I figure if I get old enough and irregular enough, I'll have to have the occasional branstorm. (Looking out for Number 2, as it were.) |