Let me preface this by saying I don't give two shakes of a damn that Tiger Woods cheated on his wife. I really don't. I don't care where he was going at 2:30 in the morning. The answer, I suspect is: OUT. If his wife beat him with a nine iron or went Jazmine Sullivan on his windows, sounds like a police matter to me. Long and short – I didn't take vows with either Tiger or Elin. To my knowledge, he pays no parts of my bills and provides nothing to this household except entertainment on a few Sundays in the spring and summer months. He did a bad thing, he got caught and he apologized. He's a sports figure, not a politician or a preacher so beyond disappointment at the dislodging of his halo – I have only a headshake and a shrug. Yes, he's a role model but it's your job as a parent to teach your children what's right and what's wrong. If you are looking to Tiger for that, there's a bigger problem in your world.
The media and the folks on Facebook and Twitter just went on a feeding frenzy. The comments have been so overwhelmingly irritating and divisive that I find myself forced (yes, forced) to respond. Author confession: I have been at all three points of the cheating triangle. All. Three. Points. I can say with authority that every point of a triangle hurts like hell. So I feel that I can speak to the whole debacle for a paragraph or two. Here are my issues with the Tiger story:
- People need to stop speaking about that which they have no knowledge. NO one knows what's going on in another person's marriage/relationship besides the two people in it. And even then, one or the both of them might be clueless. The theories about why Tiger cheated, what Elin did or didn't do in the bedroom are pure speculation. A lot of disrespectful speculation at that.
- Stop using the words "jumpoff", "sidechick", "sidepiece" or "hood girlfriend" until you come up with a similar list of derogatory terms for the man. Just stop.
- Stop bringing up Steve McNair. Didn't he already pay the ultimate price for his transgressions? Let the man rest in peace.
- What we are seeing is the outcome from a series of events that (no matter what TMZ reports) we don't know everything about. Whenever someone cheats, there's a cause. No, not justifiable but a root cause. I went to a weeklong seminar on infidelity and heard HORRIFIC stories: Women who didn't have sex with their husbands for 18 months, men who just couldn't keep it their pants, women who fell in love with their "work husbands", men and women who should have never pledged fidelity in the first place… I mean it went on and on and on. Stop worrying about where Tiger is now and check your own relationship for cracks. Sociologists are considering infidelity an epidemic in America these days, what are you doing to make sure it doesn't infect your household?
- People screw up… literally. But let's not slide back into an "all men cheat" rally. And fellas, hold onto that "men cheat physically, women cheat mentally" crap. Miss me with that. Ladies, skip the whole proud "women cheat smarter" battlecry. There's no pride in cheating, stop trying to dress it up and just let it be what it is.
- And no, not all professional athletes cheat. And no, not every athlete who hangs out with Michael Jordan cheats.
- Why are people so gleeful about this "transgression"? Because Tiger chose to call himself multi-racial and never cabbage-patched while waving watermelon on the 18th hole, we as "real black people" should be happy for the hot mess he's in? Here we go with the "shades of blackness" nonsense again. I mean people are so giddy to see a fall from grace. Glass houses folks – think about it.
- Jesus be a Maximum Strength Tylenol! My head aches from the menfolk who came out of the woodwork with their "explanations" as to why cheating is okay. It's never okay. Your multiple justifications for stepping out are wickety-wack and deserving of a laser beam side-eye. Just keep all of that to yourself. We can all agree it happens but stop acting like it's okay. Someone (usually more than one someone) always gets hurt and that's never okay.
- FAIL to Team Tiger – where's your 007 son? With all that is at your disposal, you should have NEVER got caught. I know a celeb who wouldn't even take a woman to the VIP room without her signing a confidentiality agreement first. (No it wasn't me, no I don't approve… moving on). Text messages? Voicemail? Chicks coming up out the woodwork? You need better people. Or to quit cheating… one or the other.
- To the idiot who said this was all Elin's fault: Shoot yourself.
- To the sisters saying this is what he gets for not marrying one of us or choosing one of us as his mistress: See above and repeat.
- To the women who cheated with Tiger Woods and are now trying to cash in: See above and repeat twice. Contrary to what our tabloid culture has told you – lying up under (or I'm top of – I don't need the details) a rich and famous man is not a career path. It's an action that you will now have to justify to every other man you meet or grandbaby you have in the future. Congrats, you are in a category with Fawn Hall, Monica Lewinsky and a woman known as SupaHead… your parents must be proud. Cash in now, repent at leisure.
I could go on for days but let me say this… folks are hating. Tiger Woods is a world-renowned gazillionaire with a brand named after him. Check it: He won't lose endorsement or golf fan the first. I would be stunned if Elin packed her bags and hotfooted back to Sweden or Norway or wherever she's from. Who do you marry after Eldridge Woods, Jr? Yeah, she'll be hanging in there. What people love is the scandal, the fact that the previously golden child, the Chosen One, has got a little dirt on him now. I don't (at all) respect what he did but I respect how he is handling it now (should've done it Friday afternoon but that's his PR team's failure). He said what he said to say and now he's closing ranks. Case closed. Please… can we close the case and cease the commentary? I know I'm done.
Alright floor is yours… comments, thoughts, issues?
48 comments:
i dont care it's not our bussiness period
Yes, here in the office the black women were acting like they won the lottery - how is this cause to celebrate? One girl was like - see, he cheated on her blonde ass and she beat his ass. There was also some hot grits reference thrown around... irritating. Like you, I'm done with it!
Other celebrity figures have redeemed themselves and have had far worse transgressions. Kobe Bean Bryant anyone? I just knew that dude was going to jail. Nope. NBA champion. MVP. Endorsements intact. Tiger Woods didn't even commit a crime. In due time, this will blow over until the next celebrity gets caught up. I would think high profile figures would be scared to cheat with TMZ, US Weekly, and The Enquirer on the scene. This is a new age, where literally everything comes to light.
Because OneChele has covered this as classy and on point as we have to come expect, I have nothing to add. But I do have one burning question:
How old is "thinklikeRiley"?
Seriously, if this man is over the age of 25, there is no hope for the human species...
The real tragedy of this whole thing is that he was forced to come clean in the court of public opinion all because a "hood rat" saved a voicemail and kept a used condom with his DNA in her back pocket. OK, so I'm not sure about the condom, but you know what I mean. He should have come clean publicly from day one in my book. All this does now is make fellas take their used condoms with them when they leave the scene of the "crime" rather than disposing of them like they used to. And you know what? That's almost as gross as not wearing a condom at all when you're cheating on your jumpoff with your wife.
The skanks are taking over and they must be stopped. Time was hoochies knew their place and stayed in it. Now they all flagrant with voicemails and nonsense... pitiful. Is the fifteen minutes of fame worth it?
this seems extreme in light of marital indiscretions. he did not kill anybody, right? what business is it of ours anyway?
You are right on the money,
The only thing I have to say is what my husband said,and he has been there.He said that Tiger is where he is now because he lied to his wife is, he got caught and that is it. If he had not gotten caught he would still be doing what he did.Seems like everyone is always sorry when they get caught but have you ever heard anyone say sorry before hand?If you can't be honest then there is no relationship.
Yes, wicked delight in the suffering of others!
Yeah,If you called it forced.He got caught in a lie.If he had never done it then he would not be here right now.Tiger put himself in that position.
Right on,That always seems like the case
The tragic thing is what the kids are going to hear when they are alittle older.Children learn from their parents.But the media needs to back off .How can anyone in their right minds ever put up with such a light shining on them to where they can live like a normal person.I thank God for my privacy.Nobody can judge a person,That is up to their higher power.
Uh 0-okay, you went IN on this one. So basically, ya mad, huh?
So all the tweets about how no one knew Tiger could put it down like that, whether he used his "iron" or his "wood" to get the job done... that's the sort of thing you didn't want to hear?
Truth of the matter is, Tiger or not, it's some hot ghetto mess. I would STRONGLY agree no one knows what goes on behind closed doors but EVERYBODY has an opinion (or two). Over it. Watch him win every damn thing this year.
Boy this has got you heated!! In the future just do like Florida Evan and go Damn, Damn, Damn.... But let's be real... you know how "we" do. Of course some black woman was going to be smiling because of this incident. If Tiger looked like Beattlejuice they would be feeling sorry for his wife. And of course some black guys would make light of this incident (i.e. this is where the joke about only dead men cheat applies) What he might have done (since it's only called transgressions-yeah I'm talking to you Tiger) was wrong if he did it. In the end, hopefully his wife will be able to move beyond this and get their marriage back on track.
P.S. but if that was him on the voice mail sounding whipped like that it reminds me of Keith Sweat.
P.S. 2 I will try to come up with some names for men that cheat this weekend. I will then obtain a copyright for them and have nicki minaj rap them in a song.
My first thought was ~NOOO! Not Tiger~ I don't know why I thought he was above the nonsense. I know his father is rolling over in his grave.
Yeah, just like that there.
Tiger Tiger Woods ya'll... TW is a PIMP! Don't get mad when I tell the truth. Gotta a supermodel at home and still out in them streetz - that's pimpin'
We can always count on you to keep it classy!
ANYway - it's a bad situation all the way around. When are these celebs going to learn to get ahead of the story. Tell your spouse first and your publicist second.
Hmm, the more you write, the more I realize your life story has got to be better than most fiction I've read. Setting that aside, I think people feel free to comment because it's seems so out of character not realizing that none of us even know what Tiger or Elin's character is.
Oh Lord, infidelity is your trigger and these folks done loaded the gun and set you OFF. Haven't read a good OneChele rant in a minute. So all I'll say is... agreed!
I know, I tried to hold it in... just couldn't!
I confess I am wrapped up in watching this car wreck. But Whoa! Tell em!
All have to say: if Mrs. Woods did lay hands on Mr. Woods, where is all outrage over woman on man domestic abuse? That is all.
I'm wrapped up in it too but we can always count on Ms. Chele to deal the deck straight and come from the hip!
Oh, it's out there - it's just not getting heard. If she laid hands (club, whatever) on him - she's wrong as hell. Domestic abuse, regardless of provocation or who dishes it out is never a good look. But I agree with your implication that there is a HUGE double standard on this. When a woman beats a man, there's the sense that "oh, he had it coming" when the situation is reversed, you'd never hear that. Great point!
No sympathy for Tiger. Maybe I did idealize him but I'm just so sick of hearing about these guys not keeping it in their pants - very disappointed in the whole story. There are kids involved and to me, that's inexcusable regardless of root cause.
Folks acting like Tiger the first to step out and get caught. He's human, get over it.
I co-sign each and every point you made. Each.and.every.point
What people love is the scandal, the fact that the previously golden child, the Chosen One, has got a little dirt on him now.
And that's it. Some black folks, like you said, are smugly thinking to themselves he got what he deserved for never claiming his blackness. I mean it's ridonculous.
I have nothing else to add, cause you did that.
You know what gets me is the attitude that if he'd been with a black woman this never would've happened.
A) Yeah it would've and B) She probably would've done worse to him than hit in the mouth with a golf club. ::eye roll::
I read a story like this one and all I think about are the children. Any way you look at it, they are in for a rough patch. I live in an apartment complex at the end of a street of single family homes. I was admiring the Christmas decorations that have sprung up during the last week on my way home the other day. I hope the families in the houses are as happy and festive as the decorations they have put up. I read your blog about this, but I'm otherwise staying away from the story. It makes me sad and winter is hard enough already.
And some credit to Tiger for not swinging back! If she did the kind of damage they are talking about, that's just crazy.
I got one word for this whole thing: schadenfreude.
TRUTH! You ain't said nothing but a word...
Thank you for writing this! So I don't have to. Done and done. And linked.
You're welcome and thank you!
Like you, I have been all around the triangle. Those sharp angles jab and leave scars. I highly recommend that if you can avoid being the cheater, the cheated on or the cheated with... do so.
Wow, without question you nailed this. To the point that I was working on a blog post of my own....nope, this covered it. Nothing else needs to be said here. I might make reference to your post on my site though just because there's very good stuff here and this just speaks to our societies need to want to destroy a persons statue, especially if said person is a celebrity (see: Former President Clinton).
This is the first article that I have read about this subject only because I trust OneChele to speak some truth about the situation and the truth is... this is none of our business. I don't hold celebrities, athletes or anyone else up on a pedastal. They are just as human and capable of making mistakes as we, non-celebrities. I'm not casting any stones because I like living in my pretty glass house :)
Feel free, welcome and yes - It's a great American past-time to put a person WAY up on a pedestal and then giggle as they fall. More reason why I have never wanted to be famous. I'll take the rich, they can keep the famous... not worth it! I need room to make as many stupid mistakes as possible. ;-)
"Jesus be a Maximum Strength Tylenol" - BWAHAHAHA! You went IN! I don't have anything else to add, you said it all.
Well said girl!
I know very little about Tiger, have never seen him play and didn't even know his wife's name. And I don't care. I personally don't feel we need to know about celebrities' personal lives. Like Chele, I would never want to be famous.
Is it bad that I'm mad he cheated with women who don't look as good as his wife?
Honey, that's usually the case.
Riley, I'll make sure to include you in my prayers. ;)
Tiger Woods is a really, really good golfer. He might be the greatest ever.
That's it.
Bingo. He golfs well and that's all I care about it. Anything else is his problem. He's liable to win 4 majors and have 12 more mistresses by this time next year. I only care about the majors.
Post a Comment