Hi Michael,
thank you for sharing you point of view.
I’m surprised as you are to see that the source you mentioned does not mark the term as rude.
I’ve checked also a term[0] that the chairman used to address another director an I’m surprised to see that isn’t marked as rude either.
Should we adapt and accept the use of terms that are not marked as offensive in that source but others find rude?
It could be difficult to find a clear rule that is acceptable for everyone as, as demonstrated by the term used by @nthiebaud, some colloquialisms and slang could be commonly accepted in some parts of the world but not in others.
According to that source one might use a specific term[1] to describe the level of intellectual efforts the chairperson put into evaluating this specific issue. I would never use that term but following the example shown by @nthiebaud and seeing that both yourself and Cor don’t find it problematic then it seems to be permissible.
Others might find various terms that are not marked as rude to describe the majority of the board in relation to the results they achieved[2] as summarised in a document you found in your mailbox last night.
Defining an acceptable language isn’t such a simple matter as we can see.
The issue then is also the understanding of the matter at hand. Some seem to think that elected board members are free to do what they want while others understand that there are constraints which every legal entity must respect. This lack of understanding, in some cases the unwillingness to understand, is what leads to certain types of comments and to the document members of the board of trustees received.
I might have missed his name but it seems like @nthiebaud isn’t a member of the board of trustees so he might not have received the information that would allow him reconsider his statement in relation to performance of the majority of the board with which I disagreed for quite a while. It would have been his choice then to keep defining the minority as he did or to find other colourful terms for the majority of the board.
Paolo
[0] BONEHEAD | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
[1] BLITHERING IDIOT | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
[2] BLUNDERER | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary