Usage Question

[PROESL]

What do you think of the combination "tumultuous behavior"?

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by PROESL

What do you think of the combination "tumultuous behavior"?

I like it.
I would apply it to people like Brittany Spears, Amy Winehouse, David Hasselhoff ... as well as to some lesser known people of my acquaintance.

tumultuous (Cambridge)
very loud, or full of confusion, change or uncertainty:
After the tumultuous events of 1990, Eastern Europe was completely transformed.

[PROESL]

Originally Posted by Raymott

I like it.
I would apply it to people like Brittany Spears, Amy Winehouse, David Hasselhoff ... as well as to some lesser known people of my acquaintance.

tumultuous (Cambridge)
very loud, or full of confusion, change or uncertainty:
After the tumultuous events of 1990, Eastern Europe was completely transformed.

Okay, then I have another question.

What do you think of this phrase: "exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior"?

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by PROESL

Okay, then I have another question.

What do you think of this phrase: "exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior"?

It's fantastic! How do you come up with them?

[PROESL]

Originally Posted by Raymott

It's fantastic! How do you come up with them?

I didn't come up with this one, or any similar. I read this one.

This particular phrase has come in for some criticism. It seems to be rather vague.

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by PROESL

I didn't come up with this one, or any similar. I read this one.

This particular phrase has come in for some criticism. It seems to be rather vague.

The only possible objection that I can see is that 'tumultuous' already has a meaning of 'loud', so there's a question of possible redundancy. Is that it?

[PROESL]

Originally Posted by Raymott

The only possible objection that I can see is that 'tumultuous' already has a meaning of 'loud', so there's a question of possible redundancy. Is that it?

Come to think of it, that could be something. I thought there was something odd about it. In a legal context, this phrase has, not so long ago, received some, I guess, scrutiny, or at least a closer look. It's a local story, which took place not so long ago. All that seems to be required is typing the phrase into the Google search box, and there it is - the local story. It received national attention here.

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by PROESL

Come to think of it, that could be something. I thought there was something odd about. In a legal context, this phrase has, not so long ago, received some, I guess, scrutiny, or at least a closer look. It's a local story, which took place not so long ago. All that seems to be required is typing the phrase into the Google search box, and there it is - the local story. It received national attention here.

Ah, yes, the story of the University professor questioned after breaking into his own home, and his subsequent claims of discriminatory treatment. We heard about the story here. I heard that Obama fixed all this with a few beers at the White House.

Unfortunately, even innocent people can get themselves into trouble by exhibiting loud and tumultuous behaviour in their interactions with police. It happens everywhere. Whenever the cops nab me for something I didn't do, I try to be indignant but compliant - but other people will naturally react differently, perhaps veering across the line into unlawful behaviour.

[PROESL]

The phrase, to me, sounds vague enough for a cop to arrest someone because he or she wants to without genuine justification. To me, such a phrase is a kind of perversion of the language, which is why not only the story, but this phrase is also getting some attention.



[I think the sergent was fully capable of making a presumption that he was in this man's house and could have approached the "problem" in a more professional way by politely explaining that he still has to see identification for the record because he received a call for a possible break-in.]