Brady under fire for calling Josh a "spaz" on Sunday's broadcast...

[The Wiz]

20 minutes ago, WotAGuy said:

Just give me a list of words I’m allowed to use. 

You used 7 in that sentence that are banned.

[Royale with Cheese]

7 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

It is an offensive short form of the word "spastic" which unless it is used in its strictest medical form is considered offensive. Calling someone a "spastic" because they behave erraticly is considered pretty offensive to people eho actually have disabilities. 

But you have to take culture into consideration.  Americans don’t view it that way.  

[WotAGuy]

18 minutes ago, Gunvald's Husse said:

How about not ones that mock people with disabilities and diseases such as Cerebral Palsy or Multiple Sclerosis?

 

Spaz is short for Spastic (in the UK at least) as, as @GunnerBill said, is a definite no-no on this side of the pond (now, at least. When I was at school back in the middle ages, it was, unfortunately, much used)

Well, on this side of the pond it hasn’t yet been outlawed, but you can thank Brady for doing so now. 

[Blackbeard]

WHO. CARES.

 

Sneeze these days and you've offended someone.  

[JP51]

2 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

This is not what "Spaz" means in my neck of the woods. 

 

As an aside, we should all have a very high bar for what WORDS are offensive.

 

 

I agree, I just dont understand why words cannot have different connotations and not be deemed offensive especially when you examine the context and the tone. 

[Pecos Bills]

Whether posters here are offended or not, it's just another indicator that Brady jumped into national broadcasting completely unprepared for the reality of the job.

[Pasaluki]

11 minutes ago, Gunvald's Husse said:

No one was throwing rocks, the question was why it was considered so offensive in the UK.

 

What Brady says or doesn't say is not much of a topic of conversation over here (assuming people even know who he is)

 

Fair enough. It's weird that it is so derogatory over there.

[US Egg]

8 minutes ago, WotAGuy said:

Well, on this side of the pond it hasn’t yet been outlawed, but you can thank Brady for doing so now. 

England just added Brady to their no fly list.

[Pasaluki]

Just now, Pecos Bills said:

Whether posters here are offended or not, it's just another indicator that Brady jumped into national broadcasting completely unprepared for the reality of the job.

Oh come on. 

 

He should have been aware not to call someone a nimrod because the descendant of Babylon object....

[Cray51]

If the NFL wants to be a global sport (and break into the UK market in a meaningful way) then I understand why he is being critiqued let's say.

 

with that said, using that word in the US has never been taken as offensive in any manner or experience that I've seen or heard.  I call my wife a spaz all of the time because she can be incredibly miffed about small things.  With that said, it's never in a demeaning way, and in my opinion better than "crazy" or "childish" or "hyper"

[Royale with Cheese]

5 minutes ago, Pecos Bills said:

Whether posters here are offended or not, it's just another indicator that Brady jumped into national broadcasting completely unprepared for the reality of the job.

He is supposed to know what is considered vulgar in a different country?

3 minutes ago, US Egg said:

England just added Brady to their no fly list.

“If Brady steps foot in England, hold him down and burn him with fags!”

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

22 minutes ago, That's No Moon said:

It is, but it doesn't mean, and has never meant, what you think it does.

Ok buddy whatever you say.

[GottaRun]

46 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

We discussed this in the SB the other day. In the UK he'd have been fired, instantly. It is pretty much second only to the n word in terms of offensive terms you can't use. I understand it doesn't have the same baggage in the US but honestly it made me very uncomfortable. I mentioned it in the GDT

On the other hand I can visit the UK and call you a cu** in public without most people batting an eye lid, but say that over here and heads are going to turn.  Like you say, spaz doesn't have the same baggage over here, I'm guessing this is manufactured outrage to get clicks.

[The Firebaugh Kid]

Being offended is a choice. 

It's a super popular choice, thanks to the toxic, corrective, cancel culture we live in. 

Anyone with a pure heart can see the mans intentions were never to disrespect anyone. 

 

"How can love survive in such a graceless age?"

Don Henley "The Heart of the Matter"

 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

46 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

We discussed this in the SB the other day. In the UK he'd have been fired, instantly. It is pretty much second only to the n word in terms of offensive terms you can't use. I understand it doesn't have the same baggage in the US but honestly it made me very uncomfortable. I mentioned it in the GDT

Interesting! Thanks for the context. Its the opposite of the C word which is just about the worst thing you can say about a woman in US and roughly translates into jerk in UK and is used for both men and women. 

[paulmm3]

This is stupid. Spaz is a normal word and not a slur. Anyone who is upset over this sucks. 

[Saxum]

49 minutes ago, US Egg said:

Tom “the Greek” Brady, fire him.

 

He probably has a guaranteed contract and he would get paid for it and be happy about being fired.

[GunnerBill]

23 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

This is not what "Spaz" means in my neck of the woods. 

 

As an aside, we should all have a very high bar for what WORDS are offensive.

 

 

 

No, from the chat in the GDT and the SB I get it, it doesn't have the same baggage in the US as it does in the UK. But you have to remember the NFL is beamed round the world now. To anyone watching on Sunday night on this side of the pond that word was a "wow did he just say THAT?" moment and so the fact it has caused some fire I don't think is surprising. I'm sure Tom wasn't intending to offend anybody, probably didn't even realise the word has different cultural meanings in other places. 

 

Interestingly I used a term on this forum recently, that is perfectly harmless in the UK and a long standing member PM'd me and alerted me to a cultural sensitivity it has in the US. I was grateful to them for doing so. 

[Herc11]

50 minutes ago, eball said:

 

Interesting.  I did not know that.  Thanks.  As kids we used that term all the time.

 

As an adult I use it all the time 😜 

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Interesting! Thanks for the context. Its the opposite of the C word which is just about the worst thing you can say about a woman in US and roughly translates into jerk in UK and is used for both men and women. 

 

Correct. It has no gender connotation at all in the UK. It is just the most severe way of calling someone a jerk. I mean it's still a vulgar word and not one I use very often but it doesn't have the cultural sensitivity it does in the US.