Tiger Woods and the White Women
Tiger Woods at the Australian Open in Melbourne on November 12 (Quinn Rooney/Getty)
Would Tiger Woods be better off right now if he had been banging black women? Would his marital indiscretions be getting a better play — or less attention — in the media if he was stepping out on a black wife with black women?
It is hard not to notice the distinct lack of minority women among those Tiger allegedly slept with. At least, it’s hard not to notice it when the Daily Intel lines them all up in an easy-to-gawk-at slideshow format. I’m no geneticist and I don’t know how all these women self-identify, but it’s not like Tiger was allegedly out sexing it up with Nona Gaye. And his wife looks like she’s related to Thor.
But really, we’re not dealing with Tiger and the superficial glance at the women he’s supposedly been with (that have– thus far — come forward). We’re dealing with the immense weight of cultural context and stereotypes. Media-enhanced history has us predisposed to believe that: A) White men sit around all day in fear of the black man’s penis, and B) You haven’t made it as a rich and successful black man unless you’re banging white women, two at a time if possible. Neither of those things are true, but they are part of the backdrop to the Tiger story.
Could both of these perceptions be playing into the media mega-storm surrounding Tiger Woods?
Well, of course. D’uh! It’s not right, but race is absolutely tangled up in this mess. Just ask Tom Brady.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Tom “Golden Boy” Brady impregnating people when he met current wife Gisele Bündchen? Oh, sorry, that’s right, Brady got Bridget Moynahan pregnant right before they broke up and he started dating Gisele. Uh huh, yeah, I totally believe that. Still, I don’t remember his virility with actresses and supermodels hurting Brady’s image.
Tiger is in a different situation: he’s married with kids and has apparently been hitting greens all around the world. But given the media coverage, you’d think the man kidnapped Elin and made her watch while he slept with her twin sister.
And that’s where the coverage starts to bother me. If I hear one more person say “but Elin is so attractive and all these other women are so ugly,” I’m going to throw my porn stash at somebody. First of all, cheating isn’t about attractiveness, it’s about boredom and power and opportunity. And even it was all about beauty, Elin is only attractive if you like that type. I mean, I know the media relentlessly pushes the thin, blonde, ass-less, barely pubescent stereotype of beauty, but not everybody buys into what they’ve been force fed. Christ. Stepping out on Elin Nordegren is not akin to taking an evolutionary step backwards.
Yet Tiger’s violation of someone “so beautiful” seems to be really cutting against him in the press. Because he couldn’t be satisfied with her, he must have some kind of voracious, indomitable sex drive problem. Which of course plays back into stereotypical black man’s lust that has been culturally ingrained here for centuries.
Tiger is being portrayed as a sex addict. Really, he’s just another dude that cheated on his wife when the (many) opportunities presented themselves. This makes him on par with roughly 90% of the men out there (I’m being generous to my sex). If Tiger was married to Salli Richardson-Whitfield, I think people would be treating him like a dog instead of a fiend.
Of course, Tiger wasn’t married to a pretty black woman, which lights up the other side of the racial tension motherboard. It’s almost expected now that a rich and famous black man will be linked to an endless assortment of white women. He (arguably) could go to bed with anyone he wants to, but he seems to consistently lean white. And he’s not alone in the category of black men that seem to do that.
What is up with that?
Actually, I think it’s just the other side of the same problem I explained above. If you hear a certain type of woman is attractive, a certain type of beauty is more beautiful than all other beauty — and you hear that message consistently for your entire life — well, eventually you are going to believe it. You’re going to believe it and internalize it and act accordingly. Black guys have television too.
And so Tiger finds himself almost exclusively banging white chicks for the same reason some people are angry at him for almost exclusively banging white chicks. It’s the same cultural context that is (arguably) influencing his choice in women that is contributing to the backlash against him because of his choice in women.
In a way, all of this is extremely sad since Tiger has tried so hard to be “post-racial.” He was trying that game even before Obama made it cool. But it doesn’t appear he was able to think himself out of his own preconceptions when it came to women, and it’s not like the crush of the mass media will collectively think itself out of the stereotypes now. They’re all in this paper bag together.
Of course, I don’t feel bad for Tiger. Not in the slightest. Even if he is being somewhat unfairly maligned now, the most simple solution would have been to keep it in his pants. Dealing with sexual frustration is so much easier than this racial mind-f***.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by lewisdvorkin, Tweets Tube. Tweets Tube said: Tiger Woods and the White Women http://bit.ly/7XQSZo [...]
So, we all remember Tiger’s made-up word for his ethnicity: “Cablinasian.” That’s Caucasian + Black + (American) Indian + Asian. Seems pre-scandal the media was okay with cablinasian but post-scandal he’s black?
it isn’t a black/white/cablinasian thing. it’s a good boy image thing. tiger has been marketed as a focused achiever that lived the straight and narrow (else how could we explain his performance as a golfer? “the dude has to be living the ‘early to bed early to rise’ abstinence ethic to be THAT good!”). he’s been portrayed by himself and his handlers as a “goody two shoes.”
to find out now that he’s been knocking back pain killers and getting more ass than a toilet seat is a story. it always has been, always will be.
Tiger is a guy who put on an amazingly straight laced persona, then got caught in that most of American act of cheating on his wife.
I dunno, despite all the coverage, I would guess that most normal people simply look at it in those terms.
He got caught. And caught in a big way. And now, he’ll pay the celebrity/sports guy price for it: lose 1 of 10 bajillion endorsements, have some egg on the face for awhile, then return to normalcy and make another bajillion dollars before his time in the golf world is up.
So essentially, none of this matters.
I think that Woods’s skin color has little to do with anything. I think the media is ravenous for copy about him because he is Tiger, not because he is a person of color.
Tiger Woods is arguably the world’s best golfer–ever. He is also good-looking, young, rich, and very private. These characteristics are enough to draw attention to him every time he takes a breath. Some black writers write arbitrarily about him simply because he refuses to state that he is black. Moreover, could a man of any color resist what apparently was his for the asking?
I do not condone Woods’s behavior, put I shall continue to watch him play golf for many years to come, I hope. I don’t care that his wife is white, that he is not, that others make racial mix out of straw.
Certainly he would be represented differently if he had cheated with say a black woman.
Would it have been different he had cheated with a more indiscriminately? Different races, ages, backgrounds perhaps even the opposite gender? Would it have been more acceptable if it had been just a one night stand or an affair with one woman instead of many? The greater the possibilities, the different the representation would be, and more varied would be the stereotypes whether racial, class, gender or any other.
People cheat for all sorts of reasons and there are countless unfaithful men and women because someone more attractive TO THEM has come along, be it physically, emotionally or in some other way. So what if Tiger Woods goes for the same kind of woman each time and it fits in with certain racial stereotypes. Would these sterotypes be any different if he had divorced and married again and again the same women?
If Tiger Woods is not able to think outside of “his own preconceptions” when it comes to women, then who does when it comes to relationships? Everyone’s opinion of attractiveness is in one way or another, a cultural construct of their society, history and experiences. Some are punished because they happen to fit into the common stereotypes and others are more special because they don’t fit into the categories available.
At the end of the day Tiger Woods cheated. Discussing, who, how many, when and where doesn’t change that fact.
What I really don’t get in this story is how come it took so long to come out? It feels like the celebra-media were protecting Tiger — helping him to keep his lean, clean machine image. If he was bedding so many women how come it took years for the story to emerge? Everyone knew about JFK’s voracious sexual appetite, but the press had a gentleman’s agreement not to report on it (and they were mostly gents). So what’s up with the gee-whiz we never knew about Tiger’s indiscretions? TMZ and other celebmongers follow the likes of Tiger like Mary’s little lamb. I’d like to know more about their alleged ignorance.
It’s all about the enablers… Jacko had them, but he was so bizarre the media sought them out. At Tiger’s level, there’s lots at stake for those enablers, so secrets are kept and made easy to do so when Tiger’s public face time, unlike Jacko’s, was so tame.
In response to another comment. See in context »Plus by all accounts, Tiger is interested in adult women, not young boys as Michael Jackson was alleged to have targeted. It’s a lot easier to keep things hush hush when you are not an accessory to a crime.
In response to another comment. See in context »Good point. With all the reinventing going on around Jacko you can sometimes forget for a moment the young boy saga.
In response to another comment. See in context »Yes, that is interesting. And that leads me to wonder about the media chomping on this story so thoroughly. He’s a golfer not a politician. Or a priest. Who cares what he does with other consenting adults? Do we really have to accept that if you become a world class athlete you must submit your private life to such intense scrutiny? Could we argue, yes, he is fair game since he parlayed his athleticism into a commercial product based on his squeaky clean image?
In response to another comment. See in context »Of course, in the case of Jacko, if he was abusing his celebrity status to take advantage of minors, we should know about that. But not because he was a pop star but because we need to protect children from predators.
I have an 11-year-old boy who avidly reads the sports pages daily. He has yet to take note of the controversies surrounding Tiger or A-Rod. One day, though, I’m sure he’ll ask me what this is all about. I’d like to say it’s about values. But sometimes I think it’s just about voyeurism. I’d like him to respect my profession.
All I can say, I hope without insulting you, is that you are very naive.
In response to another comment. See in context »I think a lot of it has to do with his image. He’s a golfer, he has a very mellow zen-like persona, and his image up to this point has been squeaky clean. It would be different if this kind of stuff came out about say Michael Vick, “Pacman” Jones or Kobe Bryant.
In response to another comment. See in context »Plus this the way it is in American society. We consistently build up our heroes only to tear them down when we perceive that they have crossed some imaginary fuzzy line. The next step is remorse and redemption. He’ll weather this storm, we will move on to the next outrage or scandal, and then he’ll be back playing golf. It won’t be forgotten but people will stop caring after the initial delicious rush of scandal wears off.
[...] Elie Mystal: Tiger Woods and the White Women By davidfcooper Would the tone of public disapproval of Tiger Woods be less harsh had he married a black woman and c… [...]
Interesting discussion. I never really thought about all of Tiger’s “indiscretions” skin color – or lack of same. I am not a big fan of golf, but I admired the heck out of someone who could so dominate a sport. My perception of him was a straight arrow, family man who kicked everyone’s ass on the links. (C’mon, if John Daly crashed his car and played around – would it shock anybody?) I was/am interested in the unfortunate story because the reality of it seems to be a 180 from my perceptions of the man.
Geeze…maybe he just really dug these women (obviously). Does it really have to be about race? Calling all cliches. Let’s get all Psychology 101.
I’ve yet to see anyone flip this script and ask if it’s only white women who chased his sorry ass. I wonder how many women of color did try to notch their belts by sleeping with Tiger — in sailing, they’re called racer chasers, in music, groupies — but didn’t make the cut.
The endless focus on Tiger’s sluttiness seems to suggest the women were passive. I think not. What great bragging rights to say you nagged the biggest Tiger of all. Women don’t do that? As if.
You know, Caitlin, I wondered the exact same thing. And now I also wonder whether women of color are now feeling luckier to have been snubbed — or are there some people who actually enjoy this kind of notoriety? I mean — who leaked the gross texts plastered all over the NY Post today?
In response to another comment. See in context »And finally I wonder why in the world am I thinking about this?
On behalf of Tiger’s other half, I protest that he hasn’t any orientals on his growing list.
In response to another comment. See in context »My reaction is similar, Caitlin. But I had another thought: Might there have been other women of other ethnic backgrounds involved with him, but the “press” hasn’t found them titillating enough to report them, or maybe for some un-American reason, they haven’t “self” reported? But all this conjecture really gets me nowhere I want to be. It’s embarrassing to even think about TW’s motives. It’s private stuff. I don’t think I’ll read or respond to any more about him …
In response to another comment. See in context »Um, that would be “bagged” — nagged is a good typo, though!
I suspect that Tiger grew up with a lot of cover for his actions. This is a guy who from childhood was marked as “the one” — who showed his amazing talents at the age of 2(!)on the Merv Griffin show. When you have a commodity that hot, with so much potential, you protect it. I’m only speculating, but I have a sense that what Tiger wanted, Tiger got from very early on. An ingrained behavioral pattern like that persists until it is forced to stop (if it is). Question is, now that’s he’s been outed and humiliated, will he stop? Anotehr way to ask that is, will he grow up?
I’m not sure why I find this story so boring…really what young celeb out there is squeaky clean? George Clooney has it right, woman throw themselves at you, you like it, you don’t get married. Hey this is America half of all our marriages fail because someone is screwing around, woman are no better, I know this from experience. Really girls how many would refuse Tiger?
You’re rich, you travel too much, women throw themselves at you, you’re young, bored, hence the drugs to move things along and lastly you are human.
The racial stuff is interesting but I can’t comment as a boring white guy, however Golf is a waspy sport that tried very hard to keep women and minorities at bay. If he was a talented basketball player with a clean image would anyone care…jesus they have to scream rape to get the press to write about it. Maybe there is a little payback here.
I dont think that race has much to do with the coverage. It has often been stated that the media builds people up just so they can tear them down. Well, the media built Tiger up as much as anybody. Of course it doesnt hurt that this scandal comes closely on the heels of speculation that Woods is the first billionaire athelete.
I think that his choice of women definately fuels some of the coverage, but not because of their skin color. While perhaps no one was surprised that Flava Flav would date the type of women that appear on crappy VH-1 reality shows, Tiger sort of seemed above that. I mean, really- the wealthiest athelete on the face of the planet bumpin uglies with the star of the VH-1 hit show “Tool Academy.” You cannot tell me that race is a bigger deal than that sensational statement.
But of course, it gets better. It seems that there is an almost endless assortment of prostitutes and porn stars thrown into the mix as well. The shocking thing isnt that a black man slept with white women, or that a black man exclusively slept with white women, the shocking thing is that the most successful athelete on the planet, who built a career on a good guy image, was out banging the biggest skanks and sleazes around.
Thank you for the story. First off the LORD;made us all different. In my opinion, Tiger’s choice in women his is business. As a woman of color I say to each’s own. What he did was WRONG! Yes, it is true that the Illuminati Controlled Media, tells some people what to believe and they believe it. I do agree, with how commercials and movies will pick the ‘cream of the crop’ white women and then turn around and pick the ‘plain jane’ Black Women,Biracial,Hispanic,and Asian. This is done to again control the thinking of people. Now when you pick Beautiful Black,Biracial,Hispanic,and Asian now ALL women can be viewed as ‘equally’ beautiful! When you pick Sally Richardson,Paula Patton,Halle Berry,Stacy Dash,Gabrielle Union,Selma Hayak,Kimora Lee Simmons,Tyra Banks,Janet Jackson,Nona Gaye,Lisa Lu,and etc now we can be viewed as just as beautiful! If you notice, the Illuminati will never pick Rosie O’Donnell,Sandra Bernherdt,or Beth Midler to be the spokesmodel for too many of their products. They will always pick Heidi Klum,Julia Roberts,Christie Brinkley,and Cindy Crawford. As a woman of color, I am constantly asked what I am mixed with? I do get asked out mainly by White,Hispanic,and Asian Men by the way! Because where I live, the Black Men do pursue White Women most of the time and the women of color are cool with it! Again, the LORD made us all different and with different tastes for a reason.
Please let all of this hate and bitterness go! It is not worth hanging on to it! Oh one more thing, Michael Jackson’s so-called victims came forth and admitted that those stories were made up!
One of the fathers of the victims said that his ex-wife sued before from another company to obtain money. Don’t get it twisted, when you break the oath of these secrect societies they will make you pay! MJ was a member of the FreeMasons just like the majority of these celebrities!
May JESUS bless you all in this beautiful new year!
This is one of the worst comments I’ve read on True/Slant. Regarding this comment, we can leave “True” out of the title–Slant will suffice. The writer’s view is bigoted and very biased. Besides, who cares if white men ask her out!
In response to another comment. See in context »Happy Thankful Thursday! First of all; it is not about White Men or any other man asking me out! That was put in my comment for a reason sir! So many Women of Color have waited on the sidelines for years! WE ARE JUST PLAIN TIRED!! For years, we have watched Black,Hispanic,Biracial,and Asian Men run like crazy after White Women and now that Women of Color say; hey why wait any longer? Now we get heat? There are so many Beautiful Men of Color inside and out, but again the ILLUMINATI Controlled Media has brainwashed so many ‘good’ men of color they end up like Tiger Woods and so many others. AGAIN, he still did his wife wrong! Maybe you could influence some the brothers to ‘explore’ Women of Color again!
Thanks and God Bless,
Truth
[...] I do believe is that our modern society has decided to equate sexual adventures with power, prestige, and social acceptance. We’re told — especial as men — that real men have [...]