spaz and Tiger Woods

[David Bowie]

From:    FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US>

> I don't know whether anyone has seen or heard of this, but you might
> want to have a look at the BBC site:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4902432.stm

> Golfer Tiger Woods has been criticised for saying he played like 'a
> spaz'. Can using the word ever be right?

In today's Orlando _Sentinel_ (which treats every single bit of US golf
as a local story, it seems to me), there's a mention that some of the UK
press has been writing that the US press has been "covering up" Tiger
Woods's use of the word (presumably to protect our biggest golf celebrity).

> Two things are surprising to me. First, that the word 'spaz' is such
> a strong term in the UK.  It seems the Brits are going bonkers over
> this.  Secondly, I've heard this term all my life and I have never
> heard it in the way that I think Tiger may have meant it. The writer
> of the article writes " Spaz has become synonymous with useless
> incompetence..." For me, it means nothing of the sort, but rather has
>  to do with uncontrolled action, almost always excitement.  When I
> read the signs the pep squad makes for an upcoming game 'Let's spaz
> out!!', I don't det any idea of incomepetence, but excitement.

> Any comments?

To me, speaking as someone just a few years older than (though not
sharing a linguistic background with) Tiger Woods, neither the words
"spaz" nor "spastic" have more than a tangential connection to
disability (and, before reading some of the responses on this list, i
never realized that they could possibly have or have had a closer
connection than that). Those with various sorts of disabilities could
certainly be described as spastic, or as spazzes, but spazzing is simply
not having complete control over one's (physical, mental, or emotional)
processes. It has both insulting and non-insulting uses; I read TW's use
of the word as mildly self-deprecating, and therefore an insulting use,
but the sort of insulting use that's thoroughly acceptable when directed
at oneself or a close friend. Saying that he was behaving like someone
with a physical disability? Only if you want to stretch the intent
further than i'd be comfortable doing.

p.s. I just realized that the first sentence of that paragraph (the
"speaking...Woods" bit) would probably send the comp instructors here
into a fit of their own...

p.p.s. Thunderbird's spellchecker doesn't accept "spaz" as a correctly
spelled word.

--
David Bowie                                         http://pmpkn.net/lx
     Jeanne's Two Laws of Chocolate: If there is no chocolate in the
     house, there is too little; some must be purchased. If there is
     chocolate in the house, there is too much; it must be consumed.

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