I found this interesting:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/gol...icle4799554.ece

Good article. Weekley is at heart just an excited country boy who was doing a fantastic job of helping his side win the Ryder Cup. I think a lot of people can appreciate that. It's hard to imagine him being malicious (excpet to the animals when he goes hunting ).

Nice article. Thanks for that link.

Good article quick read, I'm kind of surprised about the Poulter comment. I think it would have been said on "Live From" or at the press conferences. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't.

No problem guys. I just thought the guy had a pretty level head about it all.

spot on i would say;
by the way congrats to the US team they deserved to win (even I am European and cheered for the Europeans)
I think we all have seen some splendid golf played (unbelievable sometimes)
I look forward to the next Ryder Cup JMO as captain (hopefully)
I do not want to comment further on the sportsmanship etc. debate on purpose

IMO it is a pretty lousy article.

"Kentucky is a state that provides a service in the United States by giving outsiders a sense of superiority. However, the apparent army of inbred farmers who chew tobacco and sleep with their firearm failed to turn up at Valhalla, not even on singles Sunday, when the atmosphere tingled and the chants of “USA! USA!” echoed around the course."

I did not get the sense that he is cynical when he says this, and as someone who has family in KY, he can take his egoism and shove it.

I think that was supposed to tongue in cheek. I don't honestly think he believes what he is saying. Perhaps it may have been a poor choice of words but it was an attempt at humour not an attempt to offend anyone.

As someone that has lived all his life in Kentucky, I agree with you that I am offended by this statement. I'm overjoyed and proud that the "Kentucky boys" Perry and Holmes (and including our new "adopted" son Boo) not only won their two matches yesterday but contributed to team USA's win from the start on Friday morning. I'm also proud on how Vahalla Golf Club gave the teams a great course to play on, easily as good as Europe's best courses. Add in that while the fans were definitely one sided, I did not see anything that would be out of line as far as disrupting the European team's great play. In all I think it was a week for Kentucky golf even if Europe had won.

You've missed the subtlety of his point, which is deliciously ironic.

I didn't think he was trying to be the least bit offensive. Quite the opposite in fact. While he did mention that he expected "inbred farmers that sleep with their firearms" he did note that none showed up, implying that it was an untrue rumore about the people of Kentucky. But I'm not from Kentucky, so I guess I would probably not be offended by the comments anyway.

The point was that the "apparent" army of inbreds didn't show up; that means, with a twist of irony, that there isn't one. It was a backhanded complement, but of course it only makes sense if you live in an elitist world where it is taken for granted that such an army exists. And of course he was implying that the people who look down on Kentucky are the other Americans.

In another delicious twist, it has been two armies, full of Kentuckians, that saved Europe's a** twice in the last century; they better be nice, or Kentucky might sit out the next world war!

nope! the line about Kentucky providing a service in the states by giving outsiders a sense of superiority is not ironic, or even tongue-in-cheek. Don't defend him, there's no future in it. He wanted to rip SOMEBODY, because Europe lost. So he picked on his hosts. Classy.

Listen I am from East TN (native) and I for one know there are some people out there that feel this but I felt the author was just trying his hand at sarcasm pointed back at his audience. I did not view it as a slap in the face to anyone in the southeast. If you guys feel that offended just post here in the thread or PM me and I will ask that this thread get closed. I did not mean for the link to the article to be offensive to my neighbors from the north.

Yes, he is insulting the rest of America, which he implies looks down on Kentucky, and his elitist buddies, who expected 6-fingered banjo-pickers and Ned Beatty.

What Ogre and Geohans said.

Not everything is meant to be hostile. Just chill out a bit!

Guys, chill!

The writer is actually saying good things about Kentucky and using "English humor" in his writing style to accomplish it. He is referring to all of the stereotypes he has heard about Kentucky (and every other Southern state in the US) and its "hillbilly/redneck" inhabitants... he is saying they don't exist. He is stating the only people he ran into in Louisville were very accommodating, hospitable people who were very gracious and polite.

Don't try to turn his article into something it isn't intended to convey. Accept it for what it is, a glowing account of Kentucky and its people.

This is correct.

You hear that sound, it is the sound of that article going completely over your head.

Yes, I read the article before the thread and this was how I took it. It was funny too, because while reading I was thinking to myself that this exact sort of thing would happen.




Touche

No, the article didn't go over my head at all. The REST of the article was quite complimentary of Kentucky and the fans at the Ryder Cup. But..."Kentucky is a state that provides a service in the United States by giving outsiders a sense of superiority."--this sentence is not, and it's not ironic--it's insulting, and that's all. The rest of the article, yeah, it was sarcastic humor directed back at his audience, and I got that. But that sentence isn't like that, it's his assessment of Kentucky to set the scene for his audience. It says "Kentucky is the pits of the USA, but thankfully, the hillbillies behaved themselves".

Saved Europe's ar$e twice!!!!! What are you on about, do you not realise that Germany is part of Europe.

And may I ask what these 2 wars were that an army of Kentuckians saved Europes a** in? Must of missed that lecture in my history classes.

I guess since we have to start dropping WWII refeences then it is time to close this. I hate to do it because I feel the writer was actually being complimentary by using some sarcastic humor pointing out false sterotypes but since some feel so strongly I will PM the mods and ask them to lock this thread up. Have a great day guys.

If you're going to try and use history to lob insults, at least give credit to the Kentucky rifle. I think that one pissed off the British more than anything else.

IBTL!!!!

Almost 4,000 deaths - very clever!

except that the author said these people didn't show up, implying that they don't actually exist. He was basically saying that kentucky has been unfairly stereotyped.