Note to England: Don't Be Such a Spaz

It seems Tiger Woods got into trouble this weekend.

After finishing in a tie for 3rd at The Masters this weekend, Tiger commented on the putting problems he had all throughout the tournament that may have cost him the title:
"I putted atrociously today. Once I got on the greens I was a spaz."

Why is Tiger in trouble? The word "spaz."

From the Online Sun at www.thesun.co.uk:
"A spokesman [from Scope] said: “Although in the US the term ‘spaz’ may not be as offensive as in the UK, many people will have taken exception to linking a poor golf stroke to a spastic."

See, in England, the term spaz is short for spastic, just as it is here in the US. However, Scope, formerly know as the Spastic Society, has this to say:
“The word ‘spaz’ as used in Woods’ context is being used to attribute symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy to non-disabled people.”

Excuse me? How did cerebral palsy get into this? They derogatorially refer to CP patients as spazzes in England? How is Tiger supposed to know that?

And, as an American playing in a golf tournament in America, is he really expected to carefully and specifically choose his verbiage so as not to offend small communities of people around the globe? I mean, if he's playing in the British Open and he says that, then okay. Someone pulls him aside, tells him how it's interpretted in the host country, and he apologizes. But in this case?

Can I be offended if I watch BBC America and someone says something I believe is innapropriate even though it’s common and accept in England? Anyway, I like William K. Wolfrum's take on the situation on TravelGolf.com, partially 'cause it's funny and partially 'cause of his name.

Needless to say an apology was issued on his website, tigerwoods.com.

I dunno. To me, this is just another case of people looking to be offended. Or, at the very least, people feeling entitiled to be offended regardless of the actual intent of the “offender.”

Yet another reason I hate people.