Tiger Woods: golf, marriage, and masculinity

Is it all about infidelity and the breakdown of a public persona, or is the Tiger Woods story more about those universal issues of masculinity, femininity, and sexual attractiveness. Furthermore, I have discovered, while participating in the discussion on the Tiger Woods matter, on 'Divorcing Tiger? You go, girl' in the Globe and Mail (Timson, Dec 17, 2009), that there are a number of similarities between the women commenting there and the ones who were committed to taking a stand (against me) on the editing of the Montreal Massacre article on Wikipedia. They share the same dogmatic views, and the same resistance to my ideas (although I do think they did ultimately, on Ecole Polytechnique massacre, but just didn't give me credit for them). The same kind of girls - pseudofeminists?

Photos of a scantily-clad Elin Nordegren, from before her marriage to Tiger, are easily accessible online (WWTDD, Dec 14, 2009). I wonder how Tiger feels about this. His wife's body - in pictures - was available for all men to appreciate, not just him. I wonder if it could have been jealousy or insecurity that led Tiger to take on mistresses. His sense of self - his masculinity - would be at stake, not just as an athlete but as a man.

I have mentioned in the comments section of this Tiger Woods article my dismay at the one-sidedness of the article, even though it appears that Elin Nordegren may have commited a violent act against Tiger Woods. There is some suggestion, in another article, that the children may have witnessed the violence. If so, then Elin's violent act could be a matter for social services. This raises the issue of what is acceptable for women, in terms of commiting violent acts. It supposedly is acceptable to knock him around, according to some, if she had no other recourse. The question is, should she be judged harshly for her actions when her husband was such a jerk, or should she have been able to control herself and let the law take care of it - or the divorce court.

On the matter of the car accident, and the suspicion of the golf club violence: Both Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods would have been in trouble, had the truth come out in a police report. But he probably didn't want to press charges against Elin, and never intended to. If he had had to answer the question, what provoked the attack, no doubt he wouldn't have said. If his girlfriends had kept their mouths shut, or denied any involvement (IOW, closed ranks with the adulterer), he would have gotten off scot-free, and his wife probably would have continued to play her dutiful role. We know, as women, how difficult it is to be believed when our husbands cheat. Having the whole thing made public forced her to play her hand, and forced him to back away from public committments in golf.

Journalists have a great deal of power, to sway public opinion as well as perhaps influence the course of action Elin would want to take. Accusing her of not standing up for her rights, or for putting up with men's bad behaviour, may have placed her in a position she didn't want to take. This is one of the influences feminism has had over women's lives - making them feel inadequate, not good enough, standing by her man. No one knows, except the two people involved in this marriage, what really went on and what the options are for resolving it.

Divorcing Tiger? You go, girl
By Judith Timson
Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/family-and-relationships/divorcing-tiger-you-go-girl/article1404256/

elin hit tiger in the head with a golf club, part 2
By WhatWouldTylerDurdenDo
Dec 14, 2009
http://www.wwtdd.com/2009/12/elin-hit-tiger-in-the-head-with-a-golf-club-part-2/

Montreal Massacre 1989 - 2009

A selection of articles (see below) on the Montreal Massacre (20 years ago today, Dec 6, 1989) represent just a fraction of the many perspectives on this tragedy. Have We Forgotten the Dead focuses on various murders and atrocities across Canada, including the killings at Montreal in 1989, ending with a message about violence and the necessity of gun control, although the comments take on a much wider scope than the original subject matter. ‘A Slap in the Face’ for Victims also emphasizes the importance of the firearms registry, which some feminists see as the one tangible legacy of the Montreal Massacre. Once again the comments on this article provide much to reflect on, from people interested in this subject of gun control and concerned about the rationale behind it. In Lessons of the Montreal Massacre, the story is told of one of the survivors of the Montreal Massacre, Nathalie Provost, who speaks to us about choice, and taken-for-granted opportunities for fulfilment in life. She and her children are living in a different world than most of us. The fact that Marc Lépine attempted to get the world to see how feminism has created a wider division in society between those who have and those who do not, seems to be lost on her. If her children, and all children, had to rely on one person’s views only – hers – about the lessons of the Montreal Massacre, the world would be in trouble indeed. Western News, from the University of Western Ontario, announced its 2009 remembrance ceremonies, one in Engineering, the other at Brescia College to honour the loss of the 14 women killed on Dec 6, 1989 at Montreal, and "the lives of all women that have been lost to gender-based violence," although I believe they are actually referring to women killed by men they know, mostly, and not the kind of killing Marc Lépine committed that day – meant to be a political act to draw attention to the harm feminism has caused in society. Marc Lépine lost his life that day also, though that is never acknowledged by heartless, narrow-minded, politically-oriented feminists. On Dec 6 1917, the explosion of the SS Mont-Blanc in Halifax Harbour left 2000 dead, injuring thousands of others. This is a sad day of remembrance.

Email s.a.mcpherson@sympatico.ca for a copy of my essay, Perspectives on the Montreal Masssacre: Canada’s Outrage Revisited (2005).
See also my website: http://www.montrealmassacre.net/

Jan 10, 2010
The article ‘Divorcing Tiger? You go, girl’ was added to the list below on Jan 10 2010. Marc Lepine and the Montreal Massacre became a part of the comments’ discussion with the online article. Tiger Woods seems to me to be the antithesis of Marc Lepine in many ways. They are opposites in terms of masculinity and career success.

Have We Forgotten the Dead
By Stevie Cameron
Globe and Mail
Thursday, Dec. 03, 2009
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/have-we-forgotten-the-dead/article1387826/

‘A Slap in the Face’ for Victims
By Ingrid Peritz
Globe and Mail
Saturday, Dec. 05, 2009
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-slap-in-the-face-for-victims/article1390008

Lessons of the Montreal Massacre
By Catherine Porter
Toronto Star
Saturday, Dec 5, 2009
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/734817--lessons-of-the-montreal-massacre

Montreal Remembrance Ceremony
Western News, p. 13
Thursday, Dec 3, 2009
http://communications.uwo.ca/western_news/PDF/WNews_Dec03_09.pdf

Montreal Massacre Death Cult (added Dec 10, 09)
By Margaret Wente
Globe and Mail
Monday, Dec. 07, 2009
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/montreal-massacre-death-cult/article1392013

Divorcing Tiger? You go, girl [added Jan 10, 2009]
By Judith Timson
Globe and Mail
Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/family-and-relationships/divorcing-tiger-you-go-girl/article1404256/