to poke a stick in somebody's eye

There is an expression that goes "Well, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick." Perhaps it's a Southern expression. Anyway, it's used when something isn't great, but it isn't bad.

Can you show an example of how you saw this used?

To me, it means to hurt/criticize someone.

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"Why poke a stick in somebody's eye if you don't have to?" she
said. "If you're going to have an intelligent design course and call
it mythology, I think in the very least it's a slap in the face to
every Judeo-Christian religion that's out there."

"Well, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick." - we use this one too

Thank you all!
Marius Hancu's explanation fits very well.
And the phrase was "Don't poke a stick in your father's eye".