Shut Up Already
I want to get something off my chest then I’ll hopefully never have to discuss it again. Sure, by writing, I realize I’m perpetuating the situation, but see that first sentence. I’m tired of all the Tiger Woods talk. Seriously people, let it go. The only ones who have a right to say anything are his wife, family, and perhaps the corporate sponsors since they’re paying him for the image he represents. Other than that, all these “friends” who are now bashing him should just shut up. He’s a human being who made a mistake. If Tom in IT and Peg from Accounting had an affair, would it be newsworthy? No. Yeah, yeah, I get it, he’s a celebrity and this country is beyond obsessed with the “stars”. Actually, people are greedy and want more than their Andy Warhol allotment. Any idiot with a camera or a camera phone can potentially get rich quick from a picture or video exposing someone else’s misstep. Any moron with a voice and the potential for a microphone can give us that juicy sound bite that makes for delicious journalistic sensationalism.
If these people who claim to be Tiger’s friends were actual friends, they’d have his back. Isn’t that what true friends do? Isn’t that what they’re for? When everything starts falling apart, they’re the ones who are going to stick by his side. They won’t run away because things are a little dicey or they’re scared that some of the fallout will hit them and they’ll have to face it. Now that he’s down, they won’t kick him and, more importantly, they won’t abandon him. They will have his back and do whatever it takes to help him back to his feet.
Let’s be clear here, I don’t mean they should cover for him. If a friend of mine came to me and confided that they were sleeping around on their spouse, I certainly wouldn’t condone that behavior. I would do whatever I could to help them do the right thing, but I wouldn’t lie or cover for them. I also wouldn’t judge them for making that mistake just as I would hope they wouldn’t judge me for my mistakes. Yes, I realize that there may be some grey area where “do the right thing” is concerned. However, since this situation revolves around monogamy, couldn’t we agree that not stepping out of that monogamous relationship is the “right thing”? Then again, who really knows what their situation was? Perhaps they had an agreement and that sort of behavior was frowned upon but accepted as long as it didn’t make public news or cause personal embarrassment for Elin.
I also realize there’s more moral grey area in the form of how far you go as a friend. Is it your moral obligation to tell the other person? If you don’t, are you therefore aiding your friend in the lie and subsequently condoning it? What if that other person asks you? If you say nothing, isn’t a lie of omission still a lie? Is it really our place to tell the other person? Personally, I don’t think it would be my place to say anything to the other person. Now you’re potentially hurting two people and you’re interjecting yourself into a situation where you don’t belong. I think I would do whatever I could to get the persons involved talking and keep myself out of it.
Hey, who put all this oil on these hills?