A few weeks ago I read that Tiger Woods got into trouble for saying the wrong thing. It was right after his play at the US Masters in Augusta. Apparently he was not satisfied with his performance and he commented, "I putted atrociously today. Once I got on the greens, I was a spaz."
In America, a "spaz" is a slang term for someone who is clumsy or inept. It turns out that in Great Britain and other countries "spaz" is an offensive term for people affected with spastic paralysis, a form of cerebral palsy. (Toe-may-toe / toe-maw-toe)
So the British Spastics Society raised a stink and eventually Tiger had to apologize to all the genuine spastics around the world. I guess they thought he was diluting the brand.
What I find interesting is that the British Spastics Society had changed their name to Scope. It must have been hard getting people to attend fund raisers for the Spastics. I can just hear them now, "I say, Reginald. Are we for them or against them?"
It also occurred to me that maybe the British wouldn't find the term "spaz" so offensive if they didn't use it that way themselves. Maybe they ought to do a little house cleaning over there before starting another war with the Colonies.
And finally, I really believe that the only people who say they were offended are some self appointed do-gooders. The real spazzes probably don't pay that much attention to the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia. What they are probably concerned about is how they got that cricket bat so far up their ass. Again.
1 comment:
Being "politically correct" nowadays in whatever you say is getting annoying. If a person is spastic then what is wrong with calling them spastic? Watch an old WW II movie and the Japanese were "Japs" which was politically correct back then but now is considered politically incorrect even though that group of people has not changed during that time period nor has history. No matter what is politically corect, you are just what you are and sugar coating it will not change the basic facts.
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