In Defense of Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods released a statement in his web site apologizing for his transgressions and past behavior. He wrote that “I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal fallings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone”. Tiger Woods is an icon. He took Golf which for the most part was a past time of upper middle class white men (and some Japanese men) and made it into a world wide phenomenon. His charitable contributions personally and through the Tiger Woods Foundation are second to none.
I find it very strange that a human being who has reached the pinnacle of his profession at such a young age, a person who has broken age and race barriers and has made tremendous contributions to society is now hunted and dragged down by the very same society. Note that I used the word society and not media. The media frenzy around Tiger Woods would not exist if we in the society were unwilling to consume it. So we are the real problem and not the media.
Increasingly the personal lives of many high profile individuals (including that of President Clinton) are fair game for the media and the society at large. This was not always the case. Many Americans had no clue about the personal life of President Kennedy. Nobody in India knew about the personal life of Prime Minister Nehru. But why is it relevant now. I think that for whatever reason we want to hold our hero’s to standards that we aspire to achieve but we ourselves do not want to achieve. How many of us have considered or have actually given part of our income to charity that will help the poor and needy? The reality is that very few of us do. But we expect rich people like Tiger Woods to do it. We cheat (51% of American marriages end in divorce) but we expect Tiger Woods to live a holy life.
Many high profile individuals use the word “I am not perfect” when they offer their apologies to their fans when they are accused of doing something that their so-called fans do not agree with (the last time I checked having an affair is not illegal). I have searched far and wide but I am yet to find the definition of the perfect human being. Do you want to know why? Because there is no such thing as a perfect human being. Human beings are evolving and evolution does not end (unless there is extinction).
Human societies and behavior patters are varied. What is acceptable to you might not be acceptable to others. Tiger Woods is one-quarter Chinese, one-quarter Thai, one-quarter African American, one-eighth Native American, and one-eighth Dutch. So which cultural standards should he be following? I am sure that many Dutch citizens would have no issues with what he is doing.
I often wonder what would have happened if media in its current form existed for thousands of years. Will Jesus Christ, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed and others still be gods or will they be grouped with “infedels” like David Koresh and Sai Baba? Will Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy still be great presidents or imperfect humans like Bill Clinton and George W Bush? Will Arnold Palmer be a great golfer or a mere mortal like Tiger Woods?
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Category: Culture & Religion
I read a statement yesterday that he has accepted that he cheated on his wife.
Agreed. But as I pointed out in my article cheating on your spouse is not an illegal activity. 51% of American marriages end in divorce. The main reasons for the divorce are finance or cheating by a spouse. So this is also very common in the West. India is no different. Indians stay married for long periods of time but that does not mean that everything is on the up and up. India is at the center of the AIDS battle and other sexually transmitted diseases. Why? Since divorce is not an option for many in India, Indians choose other high risk options including visiting a prostitute. The reason for the cheating is because monogamous relationships (like a traditional marriage) is against human nature. Monogamy is a religious concept.