Pitching racial wedges

The golf world has landed in a sand trap of racial controversy.\nKelly Tilghman, a broadcaster on the Golf Channel, jokingly suggested that young golfers could only challenge Tiger Woods’ dominance if they “lynch him in a back alley.” Her light-hearted lynching reference invoked an ugly history of racist murder in this country that has angered many and inspired protests.\nThe Golf Channel issued a statement saying there was “no place ... for offensive language like this;” Tilghman’s words were certainly “grossly inappropriate.” The network suspended her for two weeks, and Tilghman apologized for her “poorly chosen words.” Tiger Woods forgave his friend Tilghman, saying he believes she meant no ill intent. On the other hand, protestors threaten to picket the Golf Channel until it fires Tilghman.\n“Fore!” — the drama gets bigger.\nA week later, Golfweek magazine featured an empty noose on its cover with the caption “Caught in a noose: Tilghman slips up and Golf Channel can’t wiggle free.” The magazine hoped the “provocative graphic” would “convey the controversial issue,” but after extreme negative reaction and criticism, Golfweek quickly fired its editor and became “deeply apologetic.”\nThe decision to publish the noose image was questionable at best. But Dave Seanor, Golfweek’s ousted editor, had good intentions to promote “intelligent dialogue” about “the lack of diversity in golf.” Not only is there a lack of black customers at golf expos, Seanor claimed, “[but] look at the executive suites at the PGA Tour, or the USGA, or the PGA of America. There are very, very few people of color there.” Seanor wanted “more dialogue” about race even though “people don’t want to hear it” and often “brush it under the rug.” Seanor thinks this instance proves “when you bring race and golf into the same sentence, everyone recoils.”\nI’d take it one step further: When you bring race into almost ANY sentence, everyone recoils.\nU.S. culture proves once again it can’t talk intelligently about race because many people have a limited understanding of (nor a desire to learn about) race.\nTilghman made a juvenile, foolish comment for which she accepted responsibility and will be held accountable. However, her apology demonstrated absolutely no learning or understanding. Rather than her standard apology to “viewers who may have been offended,” a healthy apology might be: “I’m sorry. I fully understand how even a joking reference to ‘lynching’ a black man could stir up painful emotions about the ugly history of our country where blacks were regularly murdered that way.”\nSeanor made a bad judgment call, but he honestly tried to start an intelligent conversation on complex racial issues. Unfortunately he was silenced and punished and we reinforced the popular lesson: “Talk about race at your own risk and prepare for the terrible consequences.” In golf, a “mulligan” is a second chance, a re-do after a bad shot. If we offered more “mulligans” in our social world, we might learn more and hit a few more hole-in-ones in our currently abysmal conversation on race.