I’m a publicist in real life, which generally leads me to desire a talking ban on everyone until their comments have been approved. But that’s my dream world.
Last night, Duncan Keith made a probably sexist, definitely stupid remark to a female reporter after the Blackhawks loss to Vancouver. From Puck Daddy:
- Keith: “What did you see?”
- Thomson: “Well, there it looked like there was a penalty that went undetected. You seemed a bit frustrated.”
- Keith: “Oh, no. I don’t think there was. I think he scored a nice goal, and that’s what the ref saw. Maybe we should get you as a ref maybe, hey?
- Thomson: “Yeah, maybe. Can’t skate though.”
- Keith: “First female referee. Can’t probably play either, right? But you’re thinking the game, like you know it? Seeya.”
This woman has likely heard worse on her way from the car to the rink, and she even Tweeted jokingly about it renewing the rivalry. While I don’t think Duncan Keith hates women or any such nonsense, the part about her gender is so intensely stupid, so conversationally desperate that it makes me see red.
Also, in general it’s a good rule not to be a dick. Sure, he’s frustrated. The Hawks have only lost 6 games all year and he clearly has no idea how to handle the rampant devastation that results in crying himself to sleep on a giant fucking pile of money. Since a single game loss is so eviscerating to DK, so obviously a sign that he cannot perform his job, then no wonder he thinks this woman can’t do any job at all. Ridiculous, right? Let’s be equal-opportunity jerks, at least.
Sarcasm – it’s for everyone!
Continuing this trend, Tyler Seguin used the phrase “no homo” in a Tweet yesterday. Then he deleted it. Hahaha – as if that ever worked. From SBNation:
He has since apologized for the reference. It’s offensive, of course, but one of those phrases so widely used that I doubt he thought anything at the time. He should have. He wasn’t delivered by stork to the Bruins locker room yesterday, so he should know better than to put something in the kind of writing that you can never erase. Just because he used a discriminatory term in a casual way doesn’t take away it’s meaning – even if that’s not what he meant.
Tyler Tweeted two apologies… I’m going out on a limb to say he only wrote one of them. Left the period off the latest when cutting and pasting, for authenticity.
Then there is Matt Cooke. Increasingly demoted from true asshole status over the last few seasons, if this story from Puck Daddy is at all true, then he’s on the list today too. The source is so suspect that I believe Matt gets a pass.
Tags: Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, duncan keith, Tyler Seguin
Great post – I especially loved what you said about how using a discriminatory term in a casual way doesn’t take away it’s meaning. I’ve come across a few situations like that recently, and you said what I was trying to explain so well.
Last night, not a great night for hockey on the Twitter. And a nice reminder that even though we love them, hockey players are not infallible.
Though I’m still trying to understand how an article with a third-person penis reference makes it to print. But then again, it is the notorious piece of garbage Ottawa Sun that it came from.
And even for the Ottawa Sun, he’s an exceptionally inflammatory troll (keeping it clean). He lost any shred of credibility as a writer long ago when he called for deliberately injuring opposing players.
When I saw and heard the audio, I don’t know– I think Keith was being a dick, but not sexist, because it felt like the female comment wasn’t actually directly related to the “know the game” part, as cause and effect. He’d have said the same thing to a male reporter, too. It felt more like, “Yeah, you’d be the first female ref,” then when she interrupted him to say she can’t skate, that triggered the second train of thought, i.e. “You don’t know what you’re talking about” regarding playing the game.
I don’t know. I like Keith, he’s one of my favorites, but it’s not like it’s his first time being something of an dick.
As for him, Seguin and all the hockey players for that matter, I figure they’re human, and they’re competitive, and sometimes they’re going to be dumb assholes, same as any other human. Too bad they have a microphone in their face when they do it.
I’m not trying to dismiss anything, but I honestly think that people are getting a little too sensitive. The reporter couldn’t handle her own, she chickened out and was trying to get out of asking the question, until Keith called her out. What he said wasn’t great, but they had just lost their worst game of the year, and she was asking a stupid question. Women in “traditionally male” professions have a lot to overcome, and are held to much higher standards because of it. If you’re gonna ask the tough questions, just do it, don’t back out like this woman did. You’re right in that he had no business saying what he did, but listening to this woman failing at her interview just makes me cringe as well. I’m disappointed in Duncs, but this “reporter” makes me angry. Listen to the full audio here http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/chi-duncan-keith-audio-20130423,0,816349.mp3file
As for Seguin, he’s young and made a very minor gaff in a very public domain. Unfortunately for him, he’s a superstar and someone always has to make a big deal out of it. He’s young and he’ll eventually learn not to sleep-tweet, but until then it’s pretty clear that he didn’t mean anything by it, he was just trying to promote his friend.
I don’t think you’re being dismissive at all – I think you’re spot on. Lord know I’ve said things, both stupid and reactionary, out of frustration and sleep-deprivation, that I would be horrified to have recorded for all time. Certainly no one is infallible. But there’s no secret when a mic is in your face or you opened Twitter just to write something that you’re putting it out there for everyone to (not) enjoy.
I think the problem with the Keith comment is that, as Pants put it, it was “so conversationally desperate”.. it was the easy response route to take when there’s a room full of males and you don’t like the question a female reporter is trying, however badly, to ask. Just because it’s easy for your brain to go there, doesn’t mean the words out of your mouth should follow.
And with Seguin, the problem is that that phrase is in his vocabulary at all. If he’s tweeting it, he’s probably said it, without thinking about what it actually means and why it’s hurtful. And that’s, thankfully, where You Can Play steps in. It will be a learning moment for Tyler, which I think is great.
All of that said, obviously, everyone makes mistakes in the things we say. We own them. We learn from them. We all move on.
(I hope this didn’t come off as rude or dismissive, I definitely wasn’t trying to be.)
Oh jesus, I don’t know how that double text happened. Rough week, sorry guys.
I un-double texted you, don’t worry! It’s not rude or dismissive at all, either. Now that we’re talking about other people watching their words, we are all watching ours so carefully too. Smart girls, we are.
Thanks, Pants! And definitely.. learning moments for all of us! Certainly no one is perfect. Except maybe Sidney. (Joking.. kind of.)
Good post.
If he had said that to someone of a different race implying that they couldn’t understand/play hockey while simultaneously unnecessarily bringing up their race that would obviously be considered disgustingly racist and it should be. Why is bringing up gender when it is irrelevant considered any different?
As for Seguin, it’s not just that saying something like that is wrong; the fact that he thinks like that (and thinks about it enough to write it which takes it to another level) implies he thinks in a discriminatory manner. These comments don’t come from nowhere – you don’t write things even when you’re sleepy if you don’t believe them.
Everything you said Caitlin. And I think it’s good for us to be “overly sensitive.” Hopefully it challenges people to think first before their moronic words and/or Tweets just happen.
Part of me wants to give Segs a pass. I know that’s some bias coming into play, but also because he’s young and will make mistakes. The other part of me counters: Being young is no excuse. Not in this day and age.
I had the same thought as Alison though. Even if he used it not thinking about the actual context, it’s in his vocabulary and most likely, it’s used amongst his friends. And that’s sad.
Personally, I’ve actually asked very close friends to stop using the word “gay” to describe things. As in, “OMG! That’s so gay!” Unfortunately, so many people use that word in this context and they’re not thinking about how derogatory it really is.
Like Jane Lynch said in these PSAs, there are a number of words that are “not acceptable.” It’s true.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T549VoLca_Q
Agree 100% with you Pants! Love WUYS’s posts; the sarcastic, satirical, downright hilarious posts, but today you were just pissed and I don’t blame you. These guys have to remember that what they say will be all over social media in a split second and should at least TRY to think before they utter words. It does suck when someone makes that kind of money and still chooses to be an asshole, but some people just ARE assholes. Just remember DK, the Pens are comin’ for ya!!!
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