No news here.
Today in dick news, I present you Duncan Keith, a fairly talented Canadian hockey player on the Chicago Blackhawks roster who also happens to be a dick.
If you do pay attention to NHL hockey, you will know that the Blackhawks have their fair share of dicks. They play good hockey, but their staff Christmas get-togethers probably look like frat parties of the 90s with conversation that consists of a lot of repeated words and throat noises.
Don't get me wrong, I really love watching them play and I'm sure that not all of them are dicks. They could do with changing their logo. And maybe their name. Other than that, they're a hockey team just like any other.
For those who do not know what went on, Duncan Keith said something pretty dickish recently to a Vancouver reporter. Here is what went down during the Team 1040 radio show:
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? See ya.
There are a number of fans coming to his defence (not from Vancouver, obviously, because we already think Keith is a dick whether we saw his comments as sexist or not). There are people saying that he was stressed, that he had post-game jitters, that everyone else is way too sensitive these days and can't take a joke, that what he was saying was actually not far from the truth.
To that, fuckers, I say this:
1. OK, he might have been stressed. It's a lot to ask of players to do interviews after a game. I mean, all that adrenaline going, all that money they're making......It's tough, guys, tough, having to *gasp* talk to people. They're only human, right? And you know what? I COULD GIVE TWO FUCKS. So what if Duncan Keith had post-game jitters? It doesn't change the fact that what he said was offensive. It's ok if he was feeling anxious about the game, but why did he have to pull her gender into the conversation? Why did he have to use it as an insult and a way to claim that she didn't know hockey officiating? I can't with people excusing the sexism BECAUSE POST-GAME JITTERS. Post-game jitters, my ass. Post-game jitters aren't a cause of sexism. Sexist people are.
2. Everyone is too sensitive and can't take a joke? I don't think that Keith meant that as a joke. He clearly didn't sound amused, and neither was the reporter. Sexism is still very prevalent and a serious problem in our world, and oftentimes it is not perceived thus. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE TO BE SENSITIVE ABOUT IT. If we don't call people out when they do it, people will just keep doing it, and everyone will think it's ok. Even when it isn't. We live in world and in cultures that normalize sexism. If we are to take the world out of the rut that believes women are not real people, then it's about time we stopped viewing this shit lightly.
3. Duncan Keith is right and women don't know anything about hockey? I think we oftentimes forget that there are many female sports reporters out there who, while they may not necessarily always play the said sport, are sport reporters for a reason (ie. They know sports). Also, if he really knows the game that well, he would know that "first female referee" has already happened (Heather McDaniel, anyone?) There are female referees working everywhere in big leagues and international championships. Female referees are not an uncommon thing, and if you watch hockey, you will have definitely seen them before. But I guess Keith has had his head too far up the ass of NHL hockey that he has no idea what is going on in the rest of the world. International hockey referee Lacey Senuk would not be impressed:
Duncan Keith has since responded saying that he never meant to be sexist. This asshole.
Sorry to burst your bubble, Keith, but just because you didn't intend to be sexist doesn't mean that you weren't sexist. We do a lot of things we don't intend. Like that one time you elbowed Daniel Sedin. I'm sure you didn't intend to concuss him. But you concussed him. I could care less of your intentions. When you screw up, you screw up, don't give me these half-assed apologies excusing yourself because you didn't mean to be a dick. You're just a dick.
So the moral of the story is, Duncan Keith, that the next time your team loses to the Vancouver Canucks, don't be an immature misogynist about it. You have so much else going for you. Your elbow skills, for example. Don't let stupid sexist comments overshadow that elbow.
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