Woods Lesson: Be Careful Who You Idolize
Those who revered Tiger Woods as a
role model will hopefully now view celebrities differently. That’s a
potential benefit from the sad soap opera surrounding the story of
Woods’ infidelity and the suffering he caused his wife Elin and
others.
Woods presented himself as a dedicated
family person who was deserving of our applause on and off the golf
course. Those who fawned over him couldn’t limit their adoration to his
extraordinary golfing abilities. They bought into him as a total
person, believing that he was a hero representing the best of values.
An appropriate perspective could look at
Woods and any other celebrity like this: Enjoy and appreciate the gifted
skills and performances, and admit you know very
little about this person’s behavior and values.
The Woods image fooled people for a long
time but that doesn’t make him unique from other celebrities past or
present. Celebrities, including athletes, engage in all kinds of
behavior that is contrary to the values of their fans. If you’re
looking for heroes based on values and behavior search closer to home.
Try someone you know, like a dedicated teacher, a tireless volunteer,
or courageous person with a terminal illness.
In his apology speech on Friday Woods
admitted he used his stature to have affairs and cheat on his wife.
How many other celebrities who have done the same but never been exposed
to such public scrutiny were watching Woods in his nationally televised
confession? I have no idea but a cynic might suggest the total is
50 times the number of children they have fathered out of wedlock.
The behavior of Woods is observed by not
just adults, but also children who sometimes don’t have guidance in
choosing role models. Unfortunately, what the Woods story says to some
kids is that when you’re young, rich and powerful you can mess around on
your wife and enjoy various women. Cheating and dishonesty won’t help a
generation of young people already so troubled that high school
graduation rates are under 50 percent in American cities.
Let’s hope a better life lies ahead for
Woods and those who care about him. He plans to continue in a
rehabilitation program. Maybe that’s right for him, perhaps not. The
rehab sounds good, makes us nod our heads and say, “Yup, that Tiger he’s
really trying.”
But how do we know who the real Tiger is?
Let’s just stop pretending we do and watch him play golf when he comes
back. And when he does return it would be nice if he doesn’t curse on
the course, throw his clubs and pout when some fan clicks his camera and
breaks his concentration. That kind of behavior we can observe and
decide whether it’s acceptable.
Let’s not pretend to know what our
celebrities do at home, in a hotel room, or in a corporate meeting.
