To just want to sob?

I don't think anybody needed to google to find Godwin's Law, as a certain poster has had to be reminded of it on several previous occasions.

Off to read Game of Thrones in son's garden.

Not so much of the "when you were just a newbie"! I joined GN on the day it was born! Take NO notice of my several times reconstituted profile!

break here.

Tea break!!!!!

elegran

Getting? What do you mean, Getting? I'll have you know I AM good at Googling! I can remember back a couple of years. JO, to when you were just a newby and were thrilled at the thought of all the information available on Google! Now you have almost caught up with me.

petallus, essentially, yes. Most racism is deliberate. Sometimes it is unconscious. Either way feeling offended/outraged doesn't change anything. Discussing what things are regarded as racist and why does change things, given time. Attitudes are changing because of education rather than because people take or don't take offence. Even with racist remarks, what one person finds offensive won't always be the same as what another finds offensive.

For example, in Oxford I had two friends from Uganda. One was a Ugandan Asian whose family had been ejected by Idi Amin. The other was a black (very black, the blackest person I ever known, gorgeous skin colour) Ugandan – I can't remember from what tribe. Anyway, the Asian Ugandan thought Brits were very racist and found racism in virtually everything. The African Ugandan said he'd never experienced any racism in Britain. And yet they mixed with the same sort of people. Knowing them both as I did (they knew each other too), it seemed to me that the Asian Ugandan made the choice to be offended by so much and the African Ugandan let things pass. He was the happier person even though his life had been tougher by several orders of magnitude than the other's. In short, the Asian had a chip (or several) on her shoulder and he didn't.

My God Elegran. You are getting good at googling.

I would n't have wanted any of my babies referred to as "whelps".

I think most people set humans apart from other animals.

Godwin's Law - "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one." or ""Any off-topic mention of Hitler or Nazis will cause the thread it is mentioned in to come to an irrelevant and off-topic end very soon"

Yes!

* Bags* would you apply the same logic to other areas, say racism?

I do wish this had been a face to face debate. I've thoroughly enjoyed it for the witty banter

Bags, absent, Greatnan you are on form this morning!

It is the same process for all mammals, JO and watching a lamb or a guineapig being born is almost as wonderful as watching a human birth. I've not watched a bitch whelping so can't comment on that, but if it is your own dog having pups it must be a pretty emotional experience.

I would imagine the Nazis might have referred to the Jews in those terms.

Horrible to talk about any human being "whelping"!

It isn't Prince William and Kate's fault that the media are 'using' their pregnancy to sell newsprint. I daresay they think the items are naff too and of course lets bear in mind it is that dreadful paper The Daily Whale.

I'm not sure anybody "invests a lot of emotion" in them.

I think I've gathered that she's not terribly pro-royalty as well. I expect the objecters on this thread have gathered that too. So she was just speaking as she does – not being insensitive (though why should one be sensitive about a constitutional matter anyway?), nor being offensive.

Of course, people who invest emotions in the royal fam will feel differently, but that is not the other poster's (or even posters') responsibility.

Hmm. I've just thunk myself into a realisation, writing this post: Do people who take offence easily hold the opinion (or feeling) that other people are responsible for their feelings about various topics? Discuss.

Yes, there is that possibility, but I don't think it applies to this case. In fact, I think it hardly ever applies because if you know someone has made a deliberate attempt to be offensive, you can shrug it off as their crudeness. It has more to do with them than with you so there's nothing to be gained from feeling offended.

In this case, I happen to know that the person who used the 'objectionable' word is not insensitive, which is another reason that possibility doesn't apply here.

* Bag* there is another possibility surely, that some people are inclined to be insensitive and therefore offensive on occasions?

If I was going to object to the word 'whelp' it would be on feminist grounds not because of deference to royalty.

It's not as if the royal family need protecting from remarks made by gransnetters, is it elegran? Nor do they need GN-ers to feel offended on their behalf.

Mind you, neither do gods, but you'd never know the way some people go on #siezinganopportunity (might as well since it's expected of me).

I went to bed early last night and missed all this rancour. For dogs sake, I have heard worse things said about the Royal Family than "whelp" and no-one turned a hair. Comparing them in all seriousness to leeches and bloodsuckers is OK, but a humorous reference to a natural animal process leads to horror and outrage? Get real.

Yes, aka, taking offence does depend a great deal on one's point of view.

That is exactly my point. The offence is not in what is said usually, but how what is said is interpreted. Some people seem to find an awful lot of things offensive. I can't help but wonder why they are so easily offendable. Sometimes I think perhaps they enjoy being offended in a weird sort of way. Perhaps it gives them a reason to feel superior. Perhaps they are just naturally grumpy. Perhaps they dislike certain people's style of expression as a sort of default.

Those are my wondering and wandering thoughts on the matter.

JessM yes, hunters, shooters and horsey types might well use the term 'whelp'.

Okay, I am refining my experimental design. Please all record class of 'participant' as well as response.

petallus - in hunting, shooting circles it might be considered a compliment
I'm sure there was not suggestion that D of C was a "bitch". I always thought that the use of this as an insult is doggist. Most bitches I know are adorable.
How about "foal" as a verb for the impending event? I'm sure the queen would approve, massive horse fan as she is