killermike wrote:
I hate this use of "tone deaf." First, it's not clear to me what it means. Tone deafness means one can't distinguish between two notes, particularly when one is correct and one isn't. But people using the phrase in the way you are simply take it to mean someone doesn't know an action looks bad. This is totally disconnected from the actual meaning, and the metaphor is really unclear.
Perhaps more importantly, how do you know this person is unaware that their actions look bad? Maybe they know and just don't care?
You do know that words can have more than one definition, yeah? Yes, this second definition was created as an idiom of the original definition, but the connection is very clear. Here is the definition for tone-deaf
Unable to appreciate or understand the concerns or difficulties of others; out-of-touch.
The fact that Seb Coe continues to make terrible decisions for the sport and the athletes shows that he he is not only unaware that these actions look bad, but he is actually not able to see how his actions will be perceived, similar to how a tone-deaf (literal) person is unable to distinguish between two notes.