Stevie Williams - Racist?

[jamo]

Well, that was fast: http://www.kiwicaddy.co.nz/ [QUOTE]"I apologize for comments I made last night at the Annual Caddy Awards dinner in Shanghai. Players and caddies look forward to this evening all year and the spirit is always joking and fun. I now realize how my comments could be construed as racist. However I assure you that was not my intent. I sincerely apologize to Tiger and anyone else I have offended." Steve Williams[/QUOTE]

[stogiesnbogies]

Stevie is a legend in his own mind...he needs to be reminded that he did not win a single tournament-much less 14 majors...

Since Stevie revels in receiving awards...

Adam Scott should give him a plaque with the rules of caddying engraved thereon:

"Show Up

Keep Up

SHUT UP."

[deasy55]

It's obvious he isn't racist. The world is too PC these days. He just made a Freudian slip and apologised after. The caddie awards night is a big booze up with a lot of piss taking and he just said the wrong thing in trying to be funny.

[jamo]

Stevie is a legend in his own mind...he needs to be reminded that he did not win a single tournament-much less 14 majors...

Pffft, he WON the Bridgestone this year. Adam Scott was just going through the motions. :-D

[Beachcomber]

Stevie is a legend in his own mind...he needs to be reminded that he did not win a single tournament-much less 14 majors...

Since Stevie revels in receiving awards...

Adam Scott should give him a plaque with the rules of caddying engraved thereon:

"Show Up

Keep Up

SHUT UP."

Well said. Couldn't agree more.

[mirv]

i think it qualifies as racism, albeit vaguely.  my thinking on it is, okay, when you're mad (as stevie obviously is) and you're talking smack about the person who made you mad, you aren't going to use positive or neutral descriptions for them.  you don't say "that college educated brown haired male!  boy, he makes me mad."  you pick something you don't like about them, something that you can use to condescend to them.  if they aren't very well educated and have a stuttering problem, you're going to say "that stuttering moron."  so given that, i'm inclined to think stevie was saying "black" in a negative, condescending connotation. my two cents, anyway.

[baatin]

He may not be racist, but his tack sure was. He looked for the most pejorative thing about Tiger he could think of, and came up with his race. Guy has known Tiger for a LONG time, and was clearly looking for a way to hurt him using his race, especially since Tiger has kinda avoided the whole issue for his own reasons. People keep saying Scott should just keep him on his bag--can you imagine how much crap he'll have to deal with just answering for this guy next week, then at the Presidents cup? Finchem may have to find a way to keep him out of at least our tour. Stevie and lots of folks down there don't have the sensibility we have with regards to race, largely because our history with it is so different from theirs, and we understand that our country has been able to mature way more differently from their Southern hemisphere countries (Aussie, NZ etc.). I think Steve just found his way out of relevance, or is trying to drum up attention for the book he's trying to sell. Too bad he cant violate the confidentiality agreement signed with Tiger, so he has to resort to this kind of stuff.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by baatin

Stevie and lots of folks down there don't have the sensibility we have with regards to race, largely because our history with it is so different from theirs, and we understand that our country has been able to mature way more differently from their Southern hemisphere countries (Aussie, NZ etc.).

What do you mean "mature way more differently"? Because your ancestors mistreated slaves who were dragged from their homes to America and our ancestors tried to wipe out races that were already here?  Different but the same.

There is just as much sensitivity regarding race in our countries - but people don't freak out here if someone asks for a "black coffee".

There was essentially an attempt at genocide here in Australia and The Maoris signed their treaty in 1840.

In South Africa, they had apartheid.

The United States is not the only country in the world which has a shameful history of race relations.

Steve Williams said what he said because he is ignorant and a fool. He is probably not racist, but made an outrageously stupid comment.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Shorty

You are suggesting that we are supposeed to expect Scott to fire Williams and we should be critical of him if he doesn't?

What planet are you from?

It sounds as if you are going to accuse people of being hypocrits if they don't get on Scott's case if he doesn't fire Williams.

Only the ones who said Tiger should fire Williams when he made his comments about Phil, for example.

[baatin]

Originally Posted by Shorty

What do you mean "mature way more differently"? Because your ancestors mistreated slaves who were dragged from their homes to America and our ancestors tried to wipe out races that were already here?  Different but the same.

There is just as much sensitivity regarding race in our countries - but people don't freak out here if someone asks for a "black coffee".

There was essentially an attempt at genocide here in Australia and The Maoris signed their treaty in 1840.

In South Africa, they had apartheid.

The United States is not the only country in the world which has a shameful history of race relations.

Steve Williams said what he said because he is ignorant and a fool. He is probably not racist, but made an outrageously stupid comment.

I understand what you mean, and we dont go nuts when someone here says they want their coffee black either. The idea is that with Steve, he deliberately went after the fact that Tiger is black. The fact that he did that, and given Steve's behavior over the summer, seems to indicate that he wasn't just messing around, but was looking to hurt Tiger. I say that our sensibilities are different because while you guys chose to engage in genocide, here we found a way to exist as a country with all of us realizing that the almighty dollar is really what distinguishes us. We all know of course, that racism still exists in the country, but we have made such incredible progress that the cultural contributions of African Americans is recognized all over the world in entertainment, and to those who read, in serious literature. The maturity I am talking about relates to the social dimension, and the development of a system of social equity in our country. I mean, guys like MLK and Stokely Carmichael changed the course of the world. Jesse Jackson may be a kind of a clown now, but anyone who knows their history understands what that guy did to change the world. This is how we are more mature. Even with the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, while our motives were not noble, we understood that everyone can contribute somehow to the development of the country if they get a shot at it. Apartheid was a pretty special case, but we all know it will take SA a VERY LONG TIME to fully recover from apartheid, and frankly, from the fall of apartheid. Anyone taking an honest look knows they're already collapsing economically and socially. The US, even when we went through our slavery and Civil and voting rights movements, never really fell backwards economically and socially, since our motivation was that MONEY was the great equalizer and motivator. As we all learned from The Wire, its America man, everybody got to play.

[SiamGolfer]

Moronic comment to make in public, but not racist.

Political correctness is a dangerous path, the control of language leads to control of our behaviour.

[baatin]

Nobody's controlling Steve's language, especially not GOVERNMENT. He can say whatever he wants to. Everyone in the US can. There are consequences though.

[Hairy Feet]

Different countries, different cultures and boudaries.

A quote from a main stream Oz paper a few years back, "Aussies go Paki bashing," refering to a cricket match. Its a comment you definitely wouldn't see on the back of a UK paper but is acceptable in Oz. Although Williams is from NZ they have fairly similar cultural attitudes.

However, Williams is much travelled and will almost certainly know that the context he used the word "black" in would be taken a certain way by Woods. He may have had a few beers inside him at the time but he knew what he was saying, and the context in which it would have been received by Tiger.

Its a playground spat. Is it really worth all the press time? All people are doing is giving Williams the vehicle on which he can vent his spleen. Better off just ignoring him... he's just an irritating idiot.

[Zeph]

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2d2SzRZvsQ[/VIDEO]

[The_Pharaoh]

It's a racist remark but it doesn't make him a racist in my eyes. I don't know him well enough to make that judgment. Those close to him will know if he is or not.

Unfortunately, he continues to come across as a brash, bitter and twisted individual with an ego the size of Tiger Woods' trophy cabinet. As put earlier in this thread, he would do well to shut up and stay clear of microphones for the rest of his career. It's the players that should be in the news, not the caddies (coaches, managers etc).

[insti]

jesus this world is losing the plot he called him black so what it was a describing word just as if you saw a fat person u say fat **** or ginger **** or scruffy the list goes on when people are called white trash on tv shows is that racist nope get my point the world need to stop jumping on this stupid train of racisim when its not or can we not state the obvious any more tiger is black is he not comment a bit below the belt but not racist i repeat not racist

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by insti

jesus this world is losing the plot he called him black so what it was a describing word just as if you saw a fat person u say fat **** or ginger **** or scruffy the list goes on when people are called white trash on tv shows is that racist nope get my point the world need to stop jumping on this stupid train of racisim when its not or can we not state the obvious any more tiger is black is he not comment a bit below the belt but not racist i repeat not racist

Yes, it was very kind of him to use a "describing word" to point out the colour of his skin. It made it easier for us to be sure who he was talking about.

In the same that if someone's golf ball landed on the patio, you would loudly say "it's over there where those black guys are sitting."

It's really just useful information, isn't ?

[topspin4hand]

Adam Scott's has a 7-figure revenue stream and a valuable brand/image.  Stevie is probably Adam's most visible "employee" after himself.  If one of my top employees said something this across the line, then I'd fire him, no matter how good he is.

Stevie's not a racist, but the remark was unnecessary and made recklessly.  Wonder what he says in front of his mates ...