Saturday, February 6, 2010

Frank Nobilo is Offensive and Not Funny


On Friday night, I got an e-mail from my (excellent) Yahoo! golf editor asking if I had heard what Frank Nobilo said that caused him to apologize. Because I have a strict "mute when watching "The Golf Channel" rule in my house," I admitted no and was forced to try and find exactly what he was talking about.

That was when myself and Ryan Ballengee of Waggle Room went on a hunt to find the moment. It came during a highlight of Steve Stricker, when Nobilo said, about a 230-yard distance Stricker had, that it was "Chinese dentist time." Nobilo quickly apologized for saying such an offensive thing. What was offensive about it? well, "230" is a reference to "tooth-hurty," some sort of racist joke at the expense of Chinese pronunciation. Oh, and it's ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous, to be exact.

Honestly, being racist or saying racist things makes you dumb as it is, but to say something that is racist and absolutely un-funny makes you come of as dumb and a jackass.

I really find it interesting how many times these reporters and newscasters slip up on the air. Either they have done it so long they forget that the cameras are rolling or they are that oblivious to what is going on in their world. A racist joke during a golf highlight? Sigh.

36 comments:

Dexter Francois said...

I wonder if he will be suspended like Kelly Tilghman was after her Tiger "lynching" comment.

Shane B. said...

Is there any way "The Golf Channel" can just suspend "The Golf Channel"? I'd sure love it.

Unknown said...

In a couple years, when your nephew Sammy tells you the 'tooth-hurty' joke, you'll laugh until you cry. Unfortunately, after he tells that joke, you'll have to listen a few of his knock-knock jokes. But, you'll laugh at them also.

Nobilo is funny. Tooth-hurty is funny. Stretching out the PC blanket to cover anything even one person finds offensive is killing America...

Michael Green said...

And let this be the moment that all Aussie and New Zealand accent jokes are put to bed. Hurtful.

diane said...

The problem isn't GC or the head that's talking, it's the system. When I watch Euro Tour on GC, the commentators set the scene (player, hole, yardage, club) then shut up for awhile. The assumption seems to be that if you're watching you must know something about golf.

In the US, it doesn't matter which outlet you're watching, GC, NBC, CBS, the commentators are expected to talk continuously. Even intelligent, well-controlled people will say stupid stuff when their employers pay them to speak without allowing them time to think about what they're about to say.

UKWendy said...

The world would be a sadder place without Aussie & Kiwi accent jokes.

Oh & S. African & Brit. ones too.

WHY can't we laugh at each other's pronunciation for heaven's sake?

UKWendy said...

I'm trying to remember which golf journalist/player took a taxi in Oz and the driver asked him if he had to Australia to die. No, no, I've come to play golf. But did you come to die? After a few exchanges like this, the player asked to be dropped off. It was only the next day that he realised he was being asked if he had arrived TODAY. He was mortified at how rude he must have appeared, but it gave me a rueful smile. I can't tell you how many times in the US I've been asked to repeat what I have just said - for onlookers amusement at my accent - I'm still standing.

Unknown said...

Frank Nobilo is a legend. Hope he keeps telling it like it is. If you've played golf, you would know that there are a thousand jokes like this on the course, none of them meant to be offensive - thanks Frank for bringing the average golfer's fun to the masses

jack sprat said...

" Nobilo said, about a 230-yard distance Stricker had, that it was "Chinese dentist time." Nobilo quickly apologized for saying such an offensive thing. What was offensive about it? well, "230" is a reference to "tooth-hurty," some sort of racist joke at the expense of Chinese pronunciation. Oh, and it's ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous, to be exact.

Honestly, being racist or saying racist things makes you dumb as it is, but to say something that is racist and absolutely un-funny makes you come of as dumb and a jackass. "

While Nobilo's comment was certainly "dumb" and that may well make him a "jackass"--I think "sophomoric" more likely--concluding that he is "a racist" is more than a bit much. It is precisely this sort of ludicrously judgmental overreach that pisses the rest of us off; it's why so many of us hold the "Politically Correct" in such CONTEMPT.

Truth is, Nobilo's foot-in-mouth moment doesn't even rise to the level of reaching for the words "faggot" or "N-----" in a heated argument. It's the sort of incidental, real-world observation that an 8-year-old boy is likely to make in innocence. Gentle parental shaming usually puts a stop to such faux paus. Nobilo has done the equivalent of drunkenly lighting a bag of crap on fire on his hostess' front lawn. Move along now; the show's over.

I suspect that there are NO cultures in which such observations are not made. I know enough to be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that worse are routinely made about Westerners among the Chinese. Or, perhaps you didn't know that their favorite phrase for us translates as "western barbarians," just as they styled the Japanese as "eastern barbarians" long before the latter came to their country, much less invaded it.

A sense of proportion is what you PC lot most emphatically lack. I admit that the rest of us have grown quite exasperated at your unwillingness to get over yourselves and abandon your histrionic, faux "sensitivities." Especially as most of you, upon closer examination and in my experience, evince deep-seated irrational hostilities towards certain 'others' that dwarf most of those about which you complain. Ask most any African-American or Amerindian what I'm talking about if you can't figure it out for yourselves. (Most of you will not be able to do so, even in the unlikely event that you try. You are as sanctimonious a lot as any group of Christian televangelists.)

jack sprat said...

" Nobilo said, about a 230-yard distance Stricker had, that it was "Chinese dentist time." Nobilo quickly apologized for saying such an offensive thing. What was offensive about it? well, "230" is a reference to "tooth-hurty," some sort of racist joke at the expense of Chinese pronunciation. Oh, and it's ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous, to be exact.

Honestly, being racist or saying racist things makes you dumb as it is, but to say something that is racist and absolutely un-funny makes you come of as dumb and a jackass. "

While Nobilo's comment was certainly "dumb" and that may well make him a "jackass"--I think "sophomoric" more likely--concluding that he is "a racist" is more than a bit much. It is precisely this sort of ludicrously judgmental overreach that pisses the rest of us off; it's why so many of us hold the "Politically Correct" in such CONTEMPT.

Truth is, Nobilo's foot-in-mouth moment doesn't even rise to the level of reaching for the words "faggot" or "N-----" in a heated argument. It's the sort of incidental, real-world observation that an 8-year-old boy is likely to make in innocence. Gentle parental shaming usually puts a stop to such faux paus. Nobilo has done the equivalent of drunkenly lighting a bag of crap on fire on his hostess' front lawn. Move along now; the show's over.

I suspect that there are NO cultures in which such observations are not made. I know enough to be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that worse are routinely made about Westerners among the Chinese. Or, perhaps you didn't know that their favorite phrase for us translates as "western barbarians," just as they styled the Japanese as "eastern barbarians" long before the latter came to their country, much less invaded it.

A sense of proportion is what you PC lot most emphatically lack. I admit that the rest of us have grown quite exasperated at your unwillingness to get over yourselves and abandon your histrionic, faux "sensitivities." Especially as most of you, upon closer examination and in my experience, evince deep-seated irrational hostilities towards certain 'others' that dwarf most of those about which you complain. Ask most any African-American or Amerindian what I'm talking about if you can't figure it out for yourselves. (Most of you will not be able to do so, even in the unlikely event that you try. You are as sanctimonious a lot as any group of Christian televangelists.)

jack sprat said...

" Nobilo said, about a 230-yard distance Stricker had, that it was "Chinese dentist time." Nobilo quickly apologized for saying such an offensive thing. What was offensive about it? well, "230" is a reference to "tooth-hurty," some sort of racist joke at the expense of Chinese pronunciation. Oh, and it's ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous, to be exact.

Honestly, being racist or saying racist things makes you dumb as it is, but to say something that is racist and absolutely un-funny makes you come of as dumb and a jackass. "

While Nobilo's comment was certainly "dumb" and that may well make him a "jackass"--I think "sophomoric" more likely--concluding that he is "a racist" is more than a bit much. It is precisely this sort of ludicrously judgmental overreach that pisses the rest of us off; it's why so many of us hold the "Politically Correct" in such CONTEMPT.

Truth is, Nobilo's foot-in-mouth moment doesn't even rise to the level of reaching for the words "faggot" or "N-----" in a heated argument. It's the sort of incidental, real-world observation that an 8-year-old boy is likely to make in innocence. Gentle parental shaming usually puts a stop to such faux paus. Nobilo has done the equivalent of drunkenly lighting a bag of crap on fire on his hostess' front lawn. Move along now; the show's over.

I suspect that there are NO cultures in which such observations are not made. I know enough to be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that worse are routinely made about Westerners among the Chinese. Or, perhaps you didn't know that their favorite phrase for us translates as "western barbarians," just as they styled the Japanese as "eastern barbarians" long before the latter came to their country, much less invaded it.

A sense of proportion is what you PC lot most emphatically lack. I admit that the rest of us have grown quite exasperated at your unwillingness to get over yourselves and abandon your histrionic, faux "sensitivities." Especially as most of you, upon closer examination and in my experience, evince deep-seated irrational hostilities towards certain 'others' that dwarf most of those about which you complain. Ask most any African-American or Amerindian what I'm talking about if you can't figure it out for yourselves. (Most of you will not be able to do so, even in the unlikely event that you try. You are as sanctimonious a lot as any group of Christian televangelists.)

Allan W said...

I think that Frank and his humour are wonderful. Think of all the times he had made you laugh with his unique disposition, it will wipe away any bad thoughts you may have on his dentist comment.

Frank is missed.

Anonymous said...

What a bunch of sirry iriots !!!

Counsel for the humorist said...

It's not racist - it's race related.

Know the difference jackass.

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