Ok, I feel like ranting about this.
Kelly Tilghman is a broadcaster for the Golf Channel. She does "play-by-play" (I quote it because it just doesn't seem right for golf...) of PGA tour events on the network. While I did not see or hear her comments during last weeks Mercedes Championship coverage, I have read about them several times. The comments in question were something to the effect of that today's young players on the tour should "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley".
These were obviously very poorly chosen words, but her intent was hardly malicious. It was meant to say that the only way the other players would stand a chance for great success would be to have Tiger out of the way, and was meant to be some sort of a joke I assume.
Now the Al Sharptons of the world are being heard again, demanding she be fired. While I certainly understand the sensitivity regarding the word "lynch" in relationship to a person of color, my guess is that it was more of a comment made out of ignorance, not malice. I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt on this... Let's put it another way, if Tiger Woods were 100% Asian, or had no African American heritage at all, would anyone have batted an eye at this? I think not. I sometimes think that people who do not think in terms of race can easily say something like that. The fact that some people out there are equating this to Don Imus' comments about the Rutger's womens basketball team is outrageous. Those comments were insulting and insensitive. Ms. Tilghman's comments may have been insensitive but were hardly meant to be insulting, and obviously were meant in jest.
So really if you think about it, it was a poorly chosen word - "lynch". (By the way, the dictionary definition of the word is: to put to death, esp. by hanging, by mob action and without legal authority - so you notice there is no reference at all to race). It just grinds my gears to hear everyone being so ridiculously PC about something like this. Lets not deal with the real problems in society, let's waste out time and energy on something like this. Some how I think Mr. Sharpton and people of like minds would be better served trying to improve the lives of the people they claim to represent then trying to LYNCH Ms. Tillman. (Funny how my use of "lynch" doesn't offend there, now does it!)
