Reply #15: English is a huge language [View All]

[cgrindley]

I think that when a person is speaking in English (as opposed to other languages, the majority of which are linguistically impoverished in comparison), there's too much choice with regard to synonyms. If she'd said "jumped" instead of "lynched" or "beat up" or any number of other words, no one would have cared particularly much. As it is, I don't think that word choice is always 100% deliberate. Does anyone really put any thought into the choice between "take", "pick up", "grab", "get" and so on? This commentator was delivering an off-hand remark, attempting to further another commentator's metaphor. I wouldn't put any meaning to it. I imagine that she would have used "lynched" with a white or asian golfer (Tiger is also a white golfer and an Asian golfer by the way, being only 1/4 African American). I doubt this would have been an issue if Fuzzy Zoeller hadn't been an asshole.

PS shame on Al Sharpton for clinging to a 19th century understanding of race.