Donate SIGN UP

Battle ...

Avatar Image
andy-hughes | 12:09 Fri 27th Jul 2012 | ChatterBank
29 Answers
Following my post regarding the sad death of actress Mary Tamm, which do the media always refer to people as having 'lost a battle' with cancer, when they rarely apply that metaphor to any other cause of death?

I hope I never succomb to the disease, but I will not be impressed if anyone starts calling me 'brave' or talks of my 'battle'.

As far as I am concerned, I will 'have' cancer, which is a twenty-four carat bum deal, but i wont be 'battling' it, or being 'brave' - i will simply hang on as long as I can, and then peg it.

What do you think?
Gravatar

Answers

1 to 20 of 29rss feed

1 2 Next Last

Avatar Image
Interesting question.

Of course 'lost their battle with' is just one of those convenient cliches journalists often use.

But I wonder if it stems from some distinctions cancer has?

Most illnesses are a part of the body failing and weakening

In contrast, Cancer is a 'growing' thing; cells of our own body mutating and thriving but in a way that...
12:31 Fri 27th Jul 2012
Mary Tamm??

how on earth did i miss that piece of news?

she was one of my fantasy actresses of the seventies.
I'm guessing if you battle with cancer, it means you refuse to give in and fight it with a passion.
Andyhughes that's actually a very intelligent question and although i've heard this phrase used many other times this is the first time i've actually thought about it.

Not to downplay cancer as it's a horrific disease but as you've said i've never heard about someones battle with A.i.d.s, someones battle with a a brain tumour etc..

I'm interested in the answers you get and may ask the same question on other q&a sites if this doesn't get much of a response in which case i'll post the answer.

Tenrec you said " it means you refuse to give in and fight it with a passion."

But you could say that people with many of the other potentially terminal diseases also refuse to give in and fight it to the end.
my father died of prostate cancer six years ago.

he never fought it - as the diagnosis was terminal, however, neither did he just give in to it.

he accepted the inevitable - and continued to live his life to the full ... right up to the final week, when he stayed in bed because of tiredness.

i hope - if i'm diagnosed too (it can be hereditary), i live my final years as proudly as he lived his.
Was she the actress who was a dr who assistant years ago? after sarah jane though? or an i on the wrong person? sarah jane has only just died too.
she was in many things including Dr Who, as Romana.

for example she was Jon Voight's girlfriend in 'the odessa files'
Question Author
Hi dotty - MT was the only Female Time Lord (Lady?) as far as I know in the long saga - not a follower these days, I didn't like Jon Pertwee, and it's gone down from there.

She had amazing elegance and poise, and those hypnotic eyes - gorgeous woman, and a sad loss indeed.
Interesting question.

Of course 'lost their battle with' is just one of those convenient cliches journalists often use.

But I wonder if it stems from some distinctions cancer has?

Most illnesses are a part of the body failing and weakening

In contrast, Cancer is a 'growing' thing; cells of our own body mutating and thriving but in a way that is ultimately harmful to us.

As such, cancer can be attacked; surgically, chemically and radiologically and might even go into 'remission', but then it can also 'come back'.

Are there other fatal illnesses with those characteristics?
Some people beat it.
I'm far from an expert in illness's and diseases but don't tumours have those characteristics zeuhl?
Good post andy...........I can't see the point of that metaphor either.

Zeuhl....... WHATEVER the illness that results in death, the body has lost the battle.....something finally fails......heart,kidneys ......but as andy says we tend to use the phrase......"lose the battle."

I have a similar problem with the phrase "passed away"...they haven't ...they have died........but that is digressing.
Question Author
Sqad - I think 'passed away' is more gentle for the nearest and dearest whose grief will be pretty raw. The words 'death' and 'died' are harsh, so a little smoothing over is fine i think.
andy...maybe! maybe!
Following on from Sqad, I have noticed that it is usual in the muslim communities around here to refer to someone having 'passed on' - seems to be a real issue with saying 'died'.
My mother was an ace at this! Could not say the d-word. Back in t'day when we had the only phone for several houses around, she 'helped' a neighbour by calling her doctor for her to explain, repeatedly, that her husband had 'gone'.
It took the doc about 5 mins to figure why he was being called.
Don't forget the 'lost' word.
Mrs Smith lost her husband last week.
Darned careless imo

Some of my relatives have died from cancer, others from heart attacks (I would say heart failure but sqad is around!)

Sorry to have read about Mary's death though.
Personally I think it's a cliched phrase that is automatically used without much thought becomes nothing better comes to mind. Similar to 'extend our deepest sympathies' and 'our thoughts are with'. The phrase gives me a shiver as it gives weight to the fact that those with cancer who don't beat it have a really rough time before they 'pass on'.
To cockney the tumours that behave in the way zeuhl described are cancerous ones aren't they?
<<WHATEVER the illness that results in death, the body has lost the battle.....something finally fails.carl - true>>

sqad - take your point. but that is something failing. Cancer is about something living, thriving and growing - although it ultimately kills the host.

Carl - tumours yes. If they aren't cancerous they are a 'Benign Tumour' - now there's an odd phrase!
Zeuhl.....I take your point, but i look at it as the immune system failing to deal with the cancer, but I do accept your likeness for the concept of the tumour growing and flourishing despite the fact that the success of the tumour is it's ultimate fate.

.\\\ If they aren't cancerous they are a 'Benign Tumour' - now there's an odd phrase\\\

No, tumour just means a swelling.
<No, tumour just means a swelling>

is that a tumour in your pocket or are you just pleased to? ... etc
As one `wot`s got it` I couldn`t agree more Andy.

1 to 20 of 29rss feed

1 2 Next Last

Do you know the answer?

Battle ...

Answer Question >>