Pete McDaniel on Kelly Tilghman

[golfdigest]

I was searching for something to say about the Tilghman affair when I saw this post by reader Emily Brown of Sparta, MI, elsewhere on this blog. She responds to Pete McDaniel's piece in the new Golf World. Pete's piece, the accompanying piece by Bill Fields and Emily's letter are all worth a read. I excerpt here:

I cannot agree more with what he said. It seems that we forget our terrible past and tend to give a pass because "it is just a word". What is even worse than the incident is some of the blogs and things I have read in support of Kelly that say it wasn't a problem, nothing was wrong - why the fuss? Well they should read Pete's column. The very use of the word is a grave indication of at best a lack of racial sensitivity.

I am currently studying William Grant Still as I will be giving a recital this spring with the second half devoted to his work. He is considered to be a great American composer but because he was an African-American he did not receive a proper hearing. One of his works is "And they lynched him on a tree" for double chorus (one black, one white), narrator and orchestra. It is an amazing and disturbing work that tells of a lynching from the people closest to the incident - mother, townfolk,etc. A great recording of this is William Grant Still: Skyward My People Rose by Vocalessence Ensemble Singers. Golf Channel should be required to do a show featuring this or a similar work!

I emailed the Golf Channel and chastised them for their slow and inadequate response. I suggested that both Kelly and their management should receive racial sensitivity training. I just read a news note where they commented that their email was turning in favor of Kelly. I really feel that they just view this as a publicity problem and only gave the suspension because they had to. They are not truly remorseful. Their responses are inadequate and self-serving. They should do what I suggested plus plan a major series on the history of golf and racial discrimination - with the assistance of Pete.

Again, Pete has hit the nail on the head. Please tell Pete to keep his voice strong. The world needs the unvarnished truth!

Emily, thank you. I happen to disagree that the Golf Channel sees this simply as a publicity problem or that Kelly does. I believe they take it very seriously. But without arguing that, your suggestions at least take us beyond the "she should be fired because he was fired" level of debate and address the issue of changing behavior.

I'd recommend another exercise, one I happened on a long time ago in researching a history of Bessie Smith. Read through the Chicago Defender archives for stories on lynchings. They aren't hard to find, from the 1920s to the 1950s. They were, as Pete says, far more frequent and far more recent than most of like to believe.

---Bob Carney

View the full article

[DRGJR72]

I hesitated to comment on this piece but I could not help myself.

Bottom line Kelly Tilghman slipped up and made a major error in choice of words. There is no denying that. But what ever happened to people being offered a second chance or the ability to redeem themselves? I can recall many people in the media spouting the same sentiment to Michael Vick after he was convicted of the haneous acts that he pled guilty to, that he should be given a second chance, redemption...etc.....should she not have the same option?? Especially considering that she did not murder a living thing, or profit off of the harm, abuse, slaughtering, and entertainment value of man's best friend, then lied about it. She made a slip of the tongue and used a word that hits hard especially to some more than others. I am not taking away from that at all, but she apologized, owned up to it, and attempted to make amends as best as she could at the time. She did not commit a crime, yet she is being punished as if she did.

It seems to me that this is an example of how the media can continue to manipulate a topic into something bigger than what it was. I am not downplaying the inherent meaning of the word, compared to the actual meaning and its use throughout history. The people that were offended by the use of the word, she has already apologized to, and the immediate persons involved aka, Tiger, called it a non issue. Should be case closed.

Now you have Al Sharpton telling Tiger what he should and should not do. Who is he to tell someone what he should and should not do? Is he not a reverend first? Do they not believe in forgiveness at his church? I am just curious as to what someone has to do when they offend any community whether it is white, black, brown, yellow? Where is Al Sharpton when Hispanic, Caucasian, Asian, Indian, Mexican, etc...rights are being violated? And as hard as it is to believe it does happen...I would think that someone that is a reverend of the church would want everyone to be treated equally, yet he only surfaces in instances of national prominence and places blame and orders that something need be done for justice. Sorry does not jive with me, as the punishment needs to fit the crime. The use of a word compared to many other topics that he could be arguing for or against is silly in my opinion. But hey I guess I am just a dumb guy that does not know what he is talking about.

I know that this is a skewed argument as there have been too many years of intolerance, bigotry, and racism in this country and the world, but if there is continued negativity and division it will only perpetuate the problem, not attempt to, remedy, solve and fix it. IMO.

Until we stop dividing we will never come together as one.

Dan

[FlyFish]

Sharpton is just another opportunist.

I feel sorry for Kelly. Whether the word lynching is a racist term or not is up for debate.

The dictionary version of lynching is: "To execute without due process of law, especially to hang, as by a mob."

Nowhere in the very definition of the word does it mention anything about race.

The reality is that her words were not racist, nor delivered with racist intent - however she is being raked over the coals for this.

Kudos to Tiger for not falling into this trap.

[BallSpinner]

[quote name='golfdigest' post='867547' date='Jan 16 2008, 09:11 PM'][b]Pete McDaniel on Kelly Tilghman[/b][/quote]

Now there's an image.

[withdrew]

[quote name='DRGJR72' post='867595' date='Jan 17 2008, 01:44 AM']I hesitated to comment on this piece but I could not help myself.

Bottom line Kelly Tilghman slipped up and made a major error in choice of words. There is no denying that. But what ever happened to people being offered a second chance or the ability to redeem themselves? I can recall many people in the media spouting the same sentiment to Michael Vick after he was convicted of the haneous acts that he pled guilty to, that he should be given a second chance, redemption...etc.....should she not have the same option?? Especially considering that she did not murder a living thing, or profit off of the harm, abuse, slaughtering, and entertainment value of man's best friend, then lied about it. She made a slip of the tongue and used a word that hits hard especially to some more than others. I am not taking away from that at all, but she apologized, owned up to it, and attempted to make amends as best as she could at the time. She did not commit a crime, yet she is being punished as if she did.

It seems to me that this is an example of how the media can continue to manipulate a topic into something bigger than what it was. I am not downplaying the inherent meaning of the word, compared to the actual meaning and its use throughout history. The people that were offended by the use of the word, she has already apologized to, and the immediate persons involved aka, Tiger, called it a non issue. Should be case closed.

Now you have Al Sharpton telling Tiger what he should and should not do. Who is he to tell someone what he should and should not do? Is he not a reverend first? Do they not believe in forgiveness at his church? I am just curious as to what someone has to do when they offend any community whether it is white, black, brown, yellow? Where is Al Sharpton when Hispanic, Caucasian, Asian, Indian, Mexican, etc...rights are being violated? And as hard as it is to believe it does happen...I would think that someone that is a reverend of the church would want everyone to be treated equally, yet he only surfaces in instances of national prominence and places blame and orders that something need be done for justice. Sorry does not jive with me, as the punishment needs to fit the crime. The use of a word compared to many other topics that he could be arguing for or against is silly in my opinion. But hey I guess I am just a dumb guy that does not know what he is talking about.

I know that this is a skewed argument as there have been too many years of intolerance, bigotry, and racism in this country and the world, but if there is continued negativity and division it will only perpetuate the problem, not attempt to, remedy, solve and fix it. IMO.

Until we stop dividing we will never come together as one.

Dan[/quote]


[quote name='FlyFish' post='867610' date='Jan 17 2008, 02:08 AM']Sharpton is just another opportunist.

I feel sorry for Kelly. Whether the word lynching is a racist term or not is up for debate.

The dictionary version of lynching is: "To execute without due process of law, especially to hang, as by a mob."

Nowhere in the very definition of the word does it mention anything about race.

The reality is that her words were not racist, nor delivered with racist intent - however she is being raked over the coals for this.

Kudos to Tiger for not falling into this trap.[/quote]
Both very well said. I thought this went away?

[stage1350]

It won't go away as long as the press and the race baiters think they can make a buck off of it.

[dlygrisse]

Where was Al Sharpton when it became obvious the Duke Lacrosse players were framed for political gain? If this would have happend to lacrosse players, or basketball players at Grambling University, can you imagine what would be going on? In Sharptons mind it is impossbile to be racist or discriminatory towards white people, but if someone utters anything that can be perceived as racist, even if the intent is not there, they should be publically flogged. (I'm sorry is flogged a racist term? )