Every now and then people run their mouths a lot faster than their brains. An editor I used to know (God bless his soul) defined this seeming predilection among humans to stick their foot into their mouths in three simple words – saying without thinking. This foot-in-mouth disease is exactly what struck a newspaper reporter from Pittsburgh Sunday night when he appeared on a local tv show and commented on the controversy involving Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Vick has recently been indicted on federal dogfighting charges. The story, of course, instantly made good fodder for criticisms and editorials in and outside sports. So what did Mr. Reporter say on tv?
"It's really a sad day in this country when somehow ... Michael Vick would have been better off raping a woman if you look at the outcry of what happened. Had he done that, he probably would have been suspended for four games and he'd be back on the field. But because this has become a political issue, all of a sudden the commissioner has lost his stomach for it."
Dude, what the heck? The reporter, Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, has already apologized for his unenlightened commentary, regretting his “poor choice of analogies.” I’m willing to consider that Mr. Zeise did not intend to make light of the crime of rape but he obviously failed to check his thoughts first before opening his mouth.
Remember Don Imus? Rumors had been circulating that he’ll be staging a comeback in the airwaves in September. Cementing his reputation as a repeat offender when it comes to distasteful commentaries, I hope his “nappy-headed hos” description of the Rutgers University women's basketball team in April will bury his broadcasting career for good.
I’ve recently been engaged in a tussle with a co-member in a Fil-West forum over the use of proper punctuation. The phrase in question is “World of Filipina’s,” which happens to be the site's name. Now you know why it made me cringe. Being the stickler that I am, I respectfully suggested that the offending apostrophe be removed. Anybody who passed high school English classes should be able to see the error right away. I know not all people have zero tolerance toward bad punctuation, and I am not perfect myself, thus the word “respectfully.” Well, this one person insisted the apostrophe was needed and went on to lecture me on the use of possessives. What nerve. I had to stop myself from openly mocking him as he came close to making a spectacle of himself as being ignorant of his own language. I don’t mind being pulled into a debate as long as the opponent brings the right ammunition. I don’t mind losing in an argument either when proven wrong. But what do you call a person who insists on being right when he is dead wrong, an unwanted punctuation mark dangling in front of his face?