Without Sports, This Wouldn't Be Satire

Interesting little blurb about Bernie Ecclestone, the president of Formula One racing, wherein he makes this comment vis-à-vis current media darling and female IRL driver Danica Patrick:

"You know, I've got one of those wonderful ideas... women should be dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances."

Now, before any of you female readers get your panties in a wad, read the entire article. Notice this from the last paragraph:

He added that if a woman did [excel in Formula One racing], "she would have to be a woman who was blowing away the boys. What I would really like to see happen is to find the right girl, perhaps a black girl with super looks, preferably Jewish or Muslim, who speaks Spanish."

I nearly fell out of the chair laughing when I realized what he's doing: he's ridiculing the mainstream sports media right to their public faces--and they're too dumb to realize it. He repeated the comment about "dressed in white" to Patrick herself, hoping she'd see the point. She, of course, did not. Worse, the people who are writing copy for ESPN can't even see it, but then that doesn't exactly shock me.

Ecclestone's point is not to be a misogynist--though he may or may not be so--but rather to illustrate the fact that the media constantly use minorities in sports (in this instance, that means "anyone but white males") as leverage points for their personal social agendas. They've been doing it with Tiger Woods for years, but at least Tiger is smart enough to realize it and make money from the bloodsuckers. Patrick isn't that bright or well-informed, and the press have been busy deifying her for the last three weeks, even though she has a dismal win/loss record. There are women in racing with far better records, and they've been there for years, (the name Shirley Muldowney ring any bells?)

It's revolting to watch the circus swirl around a talentless hack like Patrick simply because she's cute and photogenic, (and a shameless publicity whore). Ecclestone was simply trying to make that point before it gets even more out of hand--and it will, believe me.

Satire eludes some people entirely, of course. Journalists tend to be particularly clueless in recognizing it. But when they mistake it for cynicism or misogyny... Well, that's comedy, folks.