Do you people smell that? That’s the smell of a new semester emerging from the ashes of winter break.
While the break was probably too short for most of you, I am actually somewhat excited about coming back. A new semester means new articles in the Daily 49er, and I’ve got some things I’ve been waiting to say.
First of all, Tiger Woods did not do anything wrong. Yup, I said it. Tiger Woods and his indiscretions don’t bother me one bit. And, they shouldn’t bother you either.
It is funny how things of this nature get so blown out of proportion in today’s society. Everybody cheats, steals and lies, and not a fuss is made. But, when a sports idol sleeps with tons of women, while being married, the whole world is shocked and appalled.
The media circus that ensued over Woods’ infidelity was one thing that contributed to the uproar of it all, but as soon as advertisers began pulling Woods’ endorsements and canceling contracts, the real hypocrisy began.
Woods is the best golfer in the world. All of his endorsements were based on that fact alone. The fact that he married a Swedish model, had a black father and an Asian mother, and his real name is Eldrick are all inconsequential. Equally trivial is the amount of women he had sex with on the side.
Woods committed no crime, he was simply immoral. He acted on urges that a lot of married men suppress. But, does this mean that he should banish himself to whatever corner of the globe he is in now that he is simultaneously losing several of his major contracts?
I say no.
Bill Clinton’s “Oral Office” meeting with Monica and her famous stained dress is another example of an indiscretion that had no bearing on the top job of the accused, which in this case was running the country. Clinton was one of the best presidents of the last 30 years — all while getting a little extracurricular stimulation on the side.
Is this country really so puritanical that people are this incensed over the infidelities of public figures? In a country where the divorce rate is somewhere near 50 percent, I find it laughable that people take such petty misbehavior so seriously.
Sadly, stories that do deserve the kind of press that Tiger’s scandal received are overlooked. For instance, how many of you recognize the name Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab? He was the Muslim Nigerian cretin who attempted to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day. Forgot about him, didn’t you?
Conversely, how many of you remember a certain cocktail waitress by the name of Jaimee Grubbs? My point exactly.
Woods isn’t innocent here, of course. After he had that little car accident in his driveway, he really shouldn’t have been so tight lipped about it. After all, it didn’t take a genius to see that something wasn’t adding up.
How injured can one possibly get after crashing in one’s own driveway? I guess pretty injured after one’s pissed-off wife goes buck wild with a nine-iron.
But even in spite of all of this, should Woods really need to “take an indefinite break” from professional golf? Aren’t we overreacting a little bit? After the divorce, which may or may not come, the status quo will hopefully return back to normal and Woods will get most of his endorsements back.
If not, then it sure is a sad state of affairs. In a world where people like Michael Vick get to return to playing professional sports after profiting on the killing of animals minor cheating just doesn’t carry the same stigma it once did.
Gerry Wachovsky is a graduate student and columnist for the Daily Forty-Niner.