Tiger and his bad memory
Many of us are paid based on how much other people trust us.. This is the way the world works, and it shouldn’t surprise people or be up for debate. In other words, I make my money by being a pastor. When I became a pastor, I knew I would get paid, in a sense, not only to lead a church, but also to act a certain way to the people I was leading each week. Every pastor understands this, including the ones that get caught with their proverbial (and sometimes literal) pants down.
Hollywood celebrities know this too. That’s why they don’t whine when someone takes a picture of them getting out of the pool or taking their dog for a walk downtown to get a coffee at Starbucks. Occasionally the paparazzi steps overboard and gets a little crazy, and nobody likes to see that, but for the most part there’s an understanding: Public job = public eye = access to your life.
So then there’s Tiger, who thinks he deserves privacy now, a fact I don’t dispute, unless he means on something that has already gone public, like for instance, his life. Listen, I could literally spend all day on YouTube watching commercials starring Tiger Woods telling me I should buy this car or this golf ball, or just turn on the Television for any amount of time before I see him again, and now he asks for privacy to the very people he basically gets a paycheck from?
And then I’m reminded of the inauthenticity of our culture again. We like to be looked at as perfect, as a shining star, and as a poster boy for good role models in the universe. Pastors, celebrities, athletes alike seek the approval, not only for our main job description, whether it’s preaching or acting or hitting a ball, but also for our character. Because when our character is questioned, we are reminded that this is what actually helps us as “salespeople”. In other words, what qualifies us to do what we do is not so much what we know, but how much we look like we can be trusted. It is a matter, not of position, but of character.
Make no mistake my friends, the reason Tiger wants privacy is not because he doesn’t have privacy in the confines of his house. There are kings in this world who I could get to faster than I could get to Tiger Woods right now. But the reason he wants privacy is so we will forget the major character flaw that he has – that we all have – and once again his empire will be worth what it once was, thanks to his likeable smile…
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i think what we really want to forget in addition his transgressions (with which we identify) is our own. The more he is like us, the more we project forgiveness on ourselves vicariously through him.
We adore and worship celebrities in a way reserved for deity. Is it any wonder it makes many of us feel better when they reveal that they’re just like us?
I get where you are coming from Marty. But Tiger (like many spokespeople) earns his endorsement dollars for one main reason: He is the greatest golfer ever. If we buy products he endorses because we think he is a saint, that is something we projected on him. (This is a bit simplistic because I know he has a PR agency responsible for his personal image). The truth is Tiger deserves privacy with respect to his marriage. But as we all know, we do not usually get what we deserve.
If a member of your church is a prominent car dealer, and his marriage begins to disintegrate, wouldn’t you tell nosy parishioners to mind their own business? Or would you say, “Well, he put himself out there and told us to trust him on car sales, so he has no expectation of privacy.”
I can honestly say I have no interest in Tiger’s marital problems. I have known lots of people who have gone through similar problems and we have no idea what else was going on his marriage. The truth is, our entire faith is built on the shoulders of men who would not stay faithful to one woman.
[...] whether he likes it or not. There is actually a great post from my friend Marty about this here. He’s built his life around the public view so he will have to deal with that, but to me, [...]
By the way. That’s one of the most disturbing pictures i’ve ever seen.
As the good friend of a major celebrity’s family, I see the ugly side of human nature and how they are forced to live. Death threats on a constant basis, the inability to trust anyone they pass on the street. they are people first and foremost, and if others want to take more from their lives than simply what they do, then they need to rethink why they look to that person in the first place.
Pete and”Disagree”, I don’t disagree with your points, I just disagree with your points in this case. Pete, Absolutely I would tell the people in our community to mind their own business as far as their mouths are concerned, but the church is what scientists call a “closed system” or community. Not in the ‘no one can get in or out sense’, but in the authority sense, though of course they would have the choice whether or not to listen to me.
The world on the other hand, as a whole is completely open and chaotic, allowing for anyone to say whatever they want about whomever they want, especially in a scenario where before this, Tiger would have loved the publicity.
“Disagree”, I see where you’re coming from, except the line “how they are forced to live.” When it comes to the family, I might agree, but in Tiger’s scenario, no one is forcing him to be a famous golfer. He could easily right now take what he’s earned (probably more than I would make in 10 lifetimes, so this is doable) and live life out quietly.
You wanna be a better golfer, study Tiger’s game and others and practice. You wanna be a better singer, you find find those you can relate to, learn from them and practice.
Fame is a four letter word to most of those who have it painted on them. Some people can’t just be awestruck in the abilities or luck of others – they have to be consumed by it through jealosy or fear. Sure, some people in the public eye seek out the attention and self-adulation, but a large number of them do not.
This has less to do with Tiger than with us. No one is asking if Tiger’s ability to hit a ball has been diminished beacuse of his indiscretions. Or even how he managed to play so well (or not) over a period of time because of this. Few people care about Tiger or his family and are in a place to have meaningful impact upon them. This is about making others feel better about themselves.
Tiger picked a career. He does a job. He does it well. End of story. Money doesn’t create these problems, or solve these problems.