Birdwatcher is blasted for sexism after calling hedge sparrows 'trollops' and comparing them to prostitutes at event which saw female audience member storm out

A birdwatcher has been accused of sexism after he referred to hedge sparrows as 'trollops' in a talk that left one woman so disgusted she stormed out.

Ex-RSPB officer Chris Edwards was speaking at a community wildlife group event in Birmingham when he likened the species, commonly known as dunnocks, to prostitutes.

Dudley Council worker Lorna Prescott said his speech made her feel 'physically sick' and she was forced to leave the room in protest.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) last night branded the 'derogatory and offensive' comments unacceptable.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6669137/Ex-RSPB-birdwatcher-Chris-Edwards-accused-sexism-calling-dunnock-hedge-sparrow-birds-trollops.html

I can't stop laughing.....

Pathetic !

I was once blasted in a social conversation for using the term 'bitch' when talking about breeding dogs.

People sometimes confuse (or are insensitive to) the circumstances in which terms are acceptable.

Besides, haven't you heard that birds can be flighty?

Best not talk about that big cock over there then.

HoratioTarr wrote:
A birdwatcher has been accused of sexism after he referred to hedge sparrows as 'trollops' in a talk that left one woman so disgusted she stormed out.

Ex-RSPB officer Chris Edwards was speaking at a community wildlife group event in Birmingham when he likened the species, commonly known as dunnocks, to prostitutes.

Dudley Council worker Lorna Prescott said his speech made her feel 'physically sick' and she was forced to leave the room in protest.  

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) last night branded the 'derogatory and offensive' comments unacceptable.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6669137/Ex-RSPB-birdwatcher-Chris-Edwards-accused-sexism-calling-dunnock-hedge-sparrow-birds-trollops.html

She has now consulted personal shyster, er, injury lawyers Messrs Sue, Grabbit & Runne with a view to claiming £1 million in compensation for her "hurt feelings" and "emotional distress that keeps her awake at night."

Dudley Council worker (isn't that a contradiction in terms? - Ed) Ms Prescott says she is now unable to rely upon the traditional dawn chorus of sparrow farts to rouse her in time to leave for her sinecure, er, job at 9am each day and that she has applied to her employer to allow her to turn up at 11am and work only until 3pm each day in order to avoid late rising sparrows twittering on her way home.

"Naturally, if Dudley Council does not agree to my reasonable demands I intend to sue them also for £1 million in com-pen-say-shun."

I'll tell you what Fred, all these cretins that say "hearing this" or "seeing that" EVEN when pressed into jury service for some nasty trial are bloody useless snowflakes and seriously need to get a life and man (woman) up......I have never been in Her majesty's forces but I can tell you in the course of my otherwise "interesting" life have seen a LOT of gruesome, and quite frankly nightmarish scenes....and not been in the least inclined to be nauseous....as for merely hearing something that disagrees with my "sensibilities...if that were the case I be permanently pukeing.....

Some horrible sights can stay with for the rest of your life,especially in Dreams.

Oh I agree Nicko, which is one reason I would never decry a serving man if he falters.......

but I'm talking about civvies...lets face it what I have seen, horrible though it might have been is nothing compared to what a serviceman in combat situations is going to see.....and the average civvie aint going to see even what I have ..... I does rarely happen of course, parents seeing their kids either killed or their bodies...but to claim that a few words "made her physically sick"...she needs sectioning for life.....

Lord Foul wrote:Oh I agree Nicko, which is one reason I would never decry a serving man if he falters.......

but I'm talking about civvies...lets face it what I have seen, horrible though it might have been is nothing compared to what a serviceman in combat situations is going to see.....and the average civvie aint going to see even what I have ..... I does rarely happen of course, parents seeing their kids either killed or their bodies...but to claim that a few words "made her physically sick"...she needs sectioning for life.....

Very much subjective mate

Many people and children are raped, they being civillians within war. In fact civillians are often the biggest casualties over combat  troops in war.

Whilst I agree a soldier longer in combat will see many horrors. So will many civilians in times of war. You only have to look no further than what happened to many  eastern Europeans, Germans, Russians, Chinese, japanese etc. In times of war, the average civillian in occupied Nazi and Soviet territory. I would bet, would have seen far worse.

Sorry mate, in times of war, and sadly many times its happened. It happened constantly throughout the 20th century

Expand your thinking outside the UK here.

Thor wrote:

Lord Foul wrote:Oh I agree Nicko, which is one reason I would never decry a serving man if he falters.......

but I'm talking about civvies...lets face it what I have seen, horrible though it might have been is nothing compared to what a serviceman in combat situations is going to see.....and the average civvie aint going to see even what I have ..... I does rarely happen of course, parents seeing their kids either killed or their bodies...but to claim that a few words "made her physically sick"...she needs sectioning for life.....

Very much subjective mate

Many people and children are raped, they being civillians within war. In fact civillians are often the biggest casualties over combat  troops in war.

Whilst I agree a soldier longer in combat will see many horrors. So will many civilians in times of war. You only have to look no further than what happened to many  eastern Europeans, Germans, Russians, Chinese, japanese etc. In times of war, the average civillian in occupied Nazi and Soviet territory. I would bet, would have seen far worse.

Sorry mate, in times of war, and sadly many times its happened. It happened constantly throughout the 20th century

Expand your thinking outside the UK here.

Oh I will add about your point on the article

I agree she is an idiot and does not know what she is talking about

Thor wrote:

Lord Foul wrote:Oh I agree Nicko, which is one reason I would never decry a serving man if he falters.......

but I'm talking about civvies...lets face it what I have seen, horrible though it might have been is nothing compared to what a serviceman in combat situations is going to see.....and the average civvie aint going to see even what I have ..... I does rarely happen of course, parents seeing their kids either killed or their bodies...but to claim that a few words "made her physically sick"...she needs sectioning for life.....

Very much subjective mate

Many people and children are raped, they being civillians within war. In fact civillians are often the biggest casualties over combat  troops in war.

Whilst I agree a soldier longer in combat will see many horrors. So will many civilians in times of war. You only have to look no further than what happened to many  eastern Europeans, Germans, Russians, Chinese, japanese etc. In times of war, the average civillian in occupied Nazi and Soviet territory. I would bet, would have seen far worse.

Sorry mate, in times of war, and sadly many times its happened. It happened constantly throughout the 20th century

Expand your thinking outside the UK here.

I was more thinking of the current situation in reasonable civilised countries.....

Lord Foul wrote:

Thor wrote:

Very much subjective mate

Many people and children are raped, they being civillians within war. In fact civillians are often the biggest casualties over combat  troops in war.

Whilst I agree a soldier longer in combat will see many horrors. So will many civilians in times of war. You only have to look no further than what happened to many  eastern Europeans, Germans, Russians, Chinese, japanese etc. In times of war, the average civillian in occupied Nazi and Soviet territory. I would bet, would have seen far worse.

Sorry mate, in times of war, and sadly many times its happened. It happened constantly throughout the 20th century

Expand your thinking outside the UK here.

I was more thinking of the current situation in reasonable civilised countries.....

I understand that mate, but many civillians have witnessed horror. Do I need to expand on simple the horros people faced simple under communism?

I get your point and more people in the west. Have certainly never face such horrors

I also back your point against this idiot in the article mate

Bad enough that this idiot snowflake woman has been given any opportunity to air her grievances...

Even worse that one of the Bird Botherers' Societies saw fit to join in, and back her stupidity..

With a name like Lorna the council should have her out there as part of their mowing and hedge-clipping teams. The fresh air and sunshine might do her some good..

Moved my point here Lord Foul, to keep the debates seperate, but to highlight your question

Lord Foul wrote:That is how fragile these students have become

See my point in the "sparrows are prostitutes" thread.......

http://www.newsfixboard.com/t26197-should-tickling-children-be-made-illegal-this-morning#497353

Do you mean this point mate?

Lord Foul wrote:I'll tell you what Fred, all these cretins that say "hearing this" or "seeing that" EVEN when pressed into jury service for some nasty trial are bloody useless snowflakes and seriously need to get a life and man (woman) up......I have never been in Her majesty's forces but I can tell you in the course of my otherwise "interesting" life have seen a LOT of gruesome, and quite frankly nightmarish scenes....and not been in the least inclined to be nauseous....as for merely hearing something that disagrees with my "sensibilities...if that were the case I be permanently pukeing.....

Hmmm, I get your point and agree on the uselessness of people based on speech, that seems to offend them.

However, many people simple cannot cope with what I would class as visual traumtic events that you speak of. Its is known that people whether train, tube and or car drivers. Simple can never get behind the wheel again or the mechanism. When they have been involved in such a traumatic experince. That has had them be witness and experince such tragedies, that cause the loss of life or sever injury to life.

Not sure you can equate the two here, based on us thinking on the same lines. Where children are being made to be so fragile. As even the most harden veterans can break down, due to the combat experince they have faced. Hence I believe you are equating two extremes here.

One where people will undoubtedly, have or hold a natural aversion to. To the other warped taught extreme where children are being mollycuddled and made to become fragile. Through views they take as offensive.

Hence the view to sue based on hurt feelings by the idiot claiming a million of this. Is what is wrong with society today and should be rightly mocked by you and me on this. Simple over words. As those words were never intended to harm the individual. They themselves perceoived harm from them, based on a fragility, that has been created around them. So I agree with you on that, but I cannot see how you compare that to the most extremes that a number of people are ever able to go through.

I understand you using the extremes to point this out, but even people not sheltered would find it difficult to deal with emotionally in such a trial. Or facing surviving a crash, where your loved ones end up sadly dying. Or having a small girl walk out in front of your car. Watching helplessly, as her body, is flung from their car and her body shattered on being hit by the car and on landing on the ground.

So to me, there has to be some sensibility here on this.

Lets simple center on the idiocy, around someone simple being offended at no offense given to this individual that wants to sue. Its basically idiotic and is born from such mollycuddling. How such fragility is born from a view, they simple cannot even take different points of view

Or maybe I am confusing the point you are trying to address here mate?

Let me know

Have to go, but will catch up later mate

All the best

my point was simply....how the hell can this snowflake woman function? I mean, if mere words, and hardly even offensive words are enough to make her feel physically sick....whats she going to do when she sees a squashed rabbit??????

Lord Foul wrote:my point was simply....how the hell can this snowflake woman function?  I mean, if mere words, and hardly even offensive words are enough to make her feel physically sick....whats she going to do when she sees a squashed rabbit??????

Some people are very squeamish, which again may stem from the fact they have never grown up around seeing. As was the past animals killed and gutted to provide a meal. So on that you hold a very valid point, on fragility with this. Its like where some kids cannot dissect a frog. Which I imagine they would be able to. If they had not been so sheltered.

So yes i get your point, though, think you went to extremes on what soldiers go through.

Lets face it. People in the past who lived basically off a substance of meat and farming. From the earliest ages, would not be squeamish to the sight of a dead animal. Let alone dissecting them. So I very much agree, with you on what is wrong with society today. They are simple not being exposed to life itself. Where in reality many predatory animals rip apart their prey and eat them. I doubt these same people who are squeamish to dissection. Turn away from watching animal programms on TV. They may certainly feel empathy for the prey, but its unlikely many turn away.

So I very much now get the point you are making. We need to stop sheltering children from the realities of the world. As we are making them utimately fragile

Laters mate

Didge's Paragraph were he mentioned a Car hitting a child. Some time ago I hit and killed a Labrador that ran straight into the road, I got out and held it while crying my eyes out. In service I saw Men killed close to me . I never cried, Why ?

nicko wrote:Didge's Paragraph were he mentioned a Car hitting a child.   Some time ago I hit and killed a Labrador that ran straight into the road, I got out and held it while crying my eyes out.  In service I saw Men killed close to me . I never cried,     Why ?

It's difficult, even tough to take loss. You steeled yourself for it in wars.

You weren't ready for it in gentler times. How lucky you are...

Original Quill wrote:

nicko wrote:Didge's Paragraph were he mentioned a Car hitting a child.   Some time ago I hit and killed a Labrador that ran straight into the road, I got out and held it while crying my eyes out.  In service I saw Men killed close to me . I never cried,     Why ?

It's difficult, even tough to take loss.  You steeled yourself for it in wars.

You weren't ready for it in gentler times.  How lucky you are...

That is a very basic way of looking at this. War certainly hardens soldiers to deal with what confronts them, but there is definately a difference between both situations.

Whilst Nicko never caused the accident to the Labrador. Where the same is also found where humans have been innocent of any wrong, in regards to a human fatality. There clearly is within people involved in such accidents. A subconscious pain of guilt/fault, over the people who have suffered because their car/lorry etc hit the animal/people etc. I remember years ago, when I worked as a Contract Manager at the Broadway Shopping Center. I was standing at the top end of the center out onto the main road, with the Center manager. That not a few yards away from me a little girl. Who was holding her mothers hand at a crossing, broke free from her and ran out straight in front of a lorry. Its as if time froze in that instant and knew the moment that child was hit. She was sadly dead. That driver was inconsolable and felt to blame for what had happened, even though he tried to brake and swerve from hitting her.

So to me, there is more to your point Quill on gentler times. I can only guess what soldiers in war go through. To me, are hardened by the situation they are in, but also know. They have little time to stop and think about what has happened, as they could also end up dead. Thus they have no choice but to carry on. Though again there is little view to guilt her as in the other situation. As they are not trying to kill their fellow soldiers. There is then  less likely to be a guilt element. This could happen with officers or NCO's though through bad decisions, that lead to the unecessary deaths of some of their men. Or a blue on blue incidents..Would induce the bangs of guilt, as seen in civillian situations.

I am sure later after said events, these events also come back to haunt them. As I have come to understand this does later after conflicts back in civillian life. When they recount how they lost brothers in arms in combat. They at the time simple did not have the time to grieve. Though I am sure other troops in combat have at the time also grieved when they have lost their buddy. I just think in general and through training. Most know their lives and their brothers in arms, depend on them continuing together as a unit.

Maybe Nicko can elaborate more on the above. As he has experince to say on this, where I can only come to a form of understanding reading about the experinces of soldiers.

I've just been outside and fed the trollops

In Nam I had a close friend killed by a Mortar Bomb standing next to me, a piece of Steel in his chest still smoking. I carried on firing and advanced 30 yards or so completely forgetting my friend. When I got back to base it hit me. Couldn't stop shaking for hours, but no tears, only now thinking about it I'm filling up.
Don't know why I "talk" about these memories , certainly never to my Family, got to stop remembering !

nicko wrote:In Nam I had a close friend killed by a Mortar Bomb standing next to me, a piece of Steel in his chest still smoking.  I carried on firing and advanced 30 yards or so completely forgetting my friend. When I got back to base it hit me. Couldn't stop shaking for hours, but no tears, only now thinking about it I'm filling up.
Don't know why I "talk" about these memories , certainly never to my Family, got to stop remembering !

Sorry to hear you are pained with such memories mate and I know what I say is of little help to you. In having to go through and relive such events. Though I also thinks its helpful to speak at what has happened. So then others can come to understand what you and other soldiers have been through.

Stay gold mate

Have a good evening

Nicko.....If ever you want to talk to someone, just message me here and I'll give you my mobile number...

Lord Foul wrote:Nicko.....If ever you want to talk to someone, just message me here and I'll give you my mobile number...

+1

You truely are one of a kind mate. Such an act of kindness, is truely inspiring mate.

Have a good evening

nicko wrote:In Nam I had a close friend killed by a Mortar Bomb standing next to me, a piece of Steel in his chest still smoking.  I carried on firing and advanced 30 yards or so completely forgetting my friend. When I got back to base it hit me. Couldn't stop shaking for hours, but no tears, only now thinking about it I'm filling up.
                 Don't know why I "talk" about these memories , certainly never to my Family, got to stop remembering !

Nicko, old chap, remember the sacred words that I and countless other Royal British Legion officials and members have the honour and privilege of reciting every November 11:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning...
We will remember them.

If we do forget them, history will surely repeat itself.

I never faced action or, indeed, any real danger during my time in uniform but I'll make the same offer as Vic if you ever need to chat.

Thank you Fred,very kind .