In the past, US courts have only said an English requirement was acceptable in cases of safety (airport tower weorkers for example) or convenience (customer service).

So you think CNN should be forced to hire anchors which can’t speak English? An anchor isn’t providing customer service, it isn’t a safety issue, and it certainly isn’t necessary to their organization.

Please, you have to be much more specific than that. What law or cases are you relying on here? I’m starting to think you’re making stuff up. You’re losing credibility, Rusty.

First you stated,

Of course that’s quite illegal here

but after being challenged you backed off and stated,

I don’t think this is a slam dunk for either side

Something which is quite illegal is usually a slam dunk for one side.

You go Korean golfer girls!

Please tell me which laws or cases would give the ACLU any confidence in this.

In the past, US courts have only said an English requirement was acceptable in cases of safety (airport tower weorkers for example) or convenience (customer service). That doesn’t apply here.

And organizations are only allowed to discriminate if it’s a necessary part of that organization. So the Boy Scouts are allowed to ban gays because of their religious influences and the KKK can kick out Catholics and blacks.

So, that’s why gender discrimination is ok in the LPGA. The Ladies part is an integral part of the organization. But that’s not the case for language requirements.

I don’t think this is a slam dunk for either side which makes it very unlikely that this requirement will ever be implemented. The years of lawsuits plus the public backlash (the LPGA is already backing off) make this a non starter.

On August 27th, 2008 at 8:55 pm, chapoutier said:

My heart agrees with Rusty. My mind with Aloha.

Thanks, chapoutier. I was about to research Rusty’s claim prior to challenging it. It seemed silly, but he’s intelligent and has made several credible statements in the past (unlike lgm).

Rusty, I think you might lose some credibility on this one, but I’ll reserve judgment. Please tell me which laws or cases would give the ACLU any confidence in this.

Rusty, do you thinks that it’s illegal for the LPGA to engage in sex-based discrimination?

If a sport fails, a sport fails.

Golf is a sport, the LPGA is a business, marketed largely to the US. The Washington Post is also a business, marketed largely to the US. To interact with it’s customers, it requires writers fluent in English. Many talented Korean writers are excluded for that reason – though I will admit the articles might make more sense if written in Korean. The LPGA doesn’t want all of its business of interacting with customers (fans) to be undertaken through an interpreter any more than the WaPo does.

Since speaking English is not an important aspect of golf. If it were, there would be no golf in South Korea in the first place.

Since an English requirement isn’t nercessary to the sport, there’s no way this will get through the courts. Blame the ACLU all you want, but them’s the rules.

1. I never said the LPGA was conservative.
2.I never said they didn’t have a right to adopt the policy. I also have a right to voice an opinion on their policy. Is this a great country or what?
3. From what I’ve seen the foreign players conduct themselves very well. The players who have been on tour for a few years seem to have learned English so let’s not pretend this policy was prompted by a refusal of Koreans to learn English.

But hey, if the country club types think golf is more appealing without the best young players, they can do what they want and have them play elsewhere.

I don’t think you are wrong about trying to create better American players, but to say that this is an attempt to ban foreign players seems a bit extreme.>>Elwood

Fair point, Elwood. It’s a policy geared towards making it more difficult for young foreign Asian women to compete here.

The older Korean players, Mi Hyun Kim, Si Ri Pak, Grace Park all have learned to speak English, but many of the young women who qualify for the tour in their late teens have trouble at first.

On August 27th, 2008 at 3:42 pm, BlameAmericaLast said:

How long until the LPGA caves and apologizes?

about as long as it takes for the ACLU to file a lawsuit…