Kelly Tilghman on Tiger Woods: Think Before You Swing
A "back alley mugging" would have been inappropriate as well but not as abhorrent as a "lynching". Most often you're not murdered at a mugging. Lynching leaves no doubt, it is intended for the soul purpose of murder and in recent American history it was practiced almost exclusively against African Americans. Should Kelly Tilghman be mugged in a Golf Channel parking lot and robbed of her job? It sure would be better than a lynching.
Jimmy the Greek got canned for lighter stuff, inappropriate musings but the canning was as much for America being uncomfortable with the subject of slavery as Jimmy's ignorance.
Don Imus, alleged to have a modicum of brains got canned by his combining of the following innocuous words:
"Nappy" my Irish American cousin has nappy hair for gosh sakes what's so bad about that?
"Headed" in which direction am I heading?
"Ho's" not as innocuous once outside of the realm of hip hop and rap though.
But it isn't the words as much as his application of those words to the Rutgers Womens basketball team. Proud accomplished human beings not abstract characters in a song. So Imus actually got canned because of his ignorance and he has no one else to blame but himself.
Black professional athletes will shrug off the pressure these remarks cause. Beyond their incredible athleticism, it is the handling of constant pressure that makes them great. What these remarks do to black athletes at lower levels of their respective games is anyone's guess. My guess is that they have nothing but adverse effects.
New England Cable News aired a piece last year that opined that Tiger Woods had actually hurt young black golfers by his celebration of his Asian ancestry as well as his African American ancestry during his appearance on Oprah Winfrey. Pressure from everywhere for Tiger? No probably just another opportunistic reporter trying to say something provocative and hurting people in the process.
How does Tiger handle the pressure of remarks like these? Personally I get the nerves and slice half of my shots if the driving range is too crowded. When I attended the third round of the Deutsche Bank championship at TPC Boston last year and followed Tiger for a few holes I saw great things with pressure on him all the time. More cameras, reporters, security and fans than any other golfer on the course came marching by me on the 10th hole.
One young fan passes behind me and says in a Southern drawl "I don't know who your rooting for but here comes Tiger Yawl", like a court trumpeter heralding the arrival of the king. All eyes on Tiger watching his every move. He sets up for the shot and starts his swing but despite the numerous PGA [Quiet] paddles aloft someone yells something during his backswing. After the shot Tiger mildly admonishes the fan and of course makes a decent shot and finishes par for the hole. What would Kelly Tilghman do in a similar situation? Perhaps have the fan flogged? She'll never be in a position like that but she will make money following and reporting on the greats like Tiger and therefore should use some of that good fortune to be taught to think before she swings.
Published by Jim Wynn
I served in the U.S.M.C. Honorable discharge 1980. I have done consulting work for the JPL and written software for companies including INC Magazine. My software NetSee was listed as one of the top 3 innovat... View profile
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9 Comments
Post a CommentComment continued: So, Kelly's comments were insensitve though clearly not intentional. In her line of work, where thousands, maybe millions of people are tuned in to what she has to say, she should always be mindful of her choice of words. It is clear that what she said did not have any racial context, however, it is the perception that matters. I have always been taught that perception is reality. I hope unfortunate incident has not ruined her career, but has instead caused her to be more cautious about what she says and how it can be perceived. Most of us have to do this everyday. In our home, in our jobs, with our friends, etc. Unfortunately, in our country if you want to play the "game", politics is a part of it and certainly political correctness is.
First, regardless of webster not listing the word as stated above, we all know what a negative conotation the word has not only to the African American community but to others who have experienced this in their culture and those that are uncomfortable with any reference to slavery and racial injustice. Read further down in Wikipedia for more information. Just last year the world witnessed as someone hung a noose in a school tree in Jena, LA. The perception is that the noose was put there to infer racial intimidation in reference to lynching... a violent and gruesome act used to kill and intimidate african-americans, anti-white supremist, and anti slavery supports specifically in the South.
So, Kelly's comments were insensitve though clearly not intentional. In her line of work, where thousands, maybe millions of people are tuned in to what she has to say, she should always be mindful of her choice of words. It is clear that what she said did not have any racial context, howev
Seems like Nick Faldo lead Kelly into the discussion in the first place. Get a life Golf Channel! More of the old "political correctness" garbage! The Golf Channel owes her an apology and I'm encouraging everyone to boycott the Golf Channel and their sponsors.
Perhaps a late night spell check changed sol to soul rather than sole. That would be unfortunate but not ignorant. It would still have a contextual relevance though in as much as a lynching would certainly have an impact on your mortal soul. That may be a rationalization but still not ignorant.
She is a hot white woman, but will probably not even talk to a non-white person unless they play golf, and she is forced to talk to them.
Hey, where's the Asian community on this....isn't Tiger half Korean?
According to websters lynching is not a real word, wikipedia defines it as a mob (2 or more people) inflicting violence on the body of another person. While people such as Al Sharpton would like to claim it is a racial word and demand someone is fired for useing it, I don't believe
Tiger Woods would ever even thought the way Kelly used it, that it had a thing to do with race. She was saying Tiger is so good, that is the only way others can compete with him. Now on the other hand Al Sharpton calls himself as others do a Reverend and Webster does define reverend as worthy of reverence and reverence as honor or respect, felt or shown and that does not decribe Al Shapton in any way I have ever witnessed. I believe, as long as blacks can push our (white peoples) Don Imus's and the likes on us we should point out their Al Sharpton's and Jessie Jackson's.
I'm sure you meant to say "sole" purpose, not "soul."
But that was inadvertant, and not ignorant.
Regarding the lynching of Tiger. My interpretation of that inadvertent comment by Ms Tilghman is that she is trying to tell those new guys that the only way they will be able to beat Tiger is to lynch him, that is how good Tiger is. That is actually an insult to the other guys who mocks the black athletes, not to Tiger.