LloydMarcus.com
Posted on 12/14/2009 8:36:17 AM PST by Lloyd Marcus
Thanks to my wife who has this thing about not getting rid of books, I stumbled across a book I read years ago in my youth, “The Hiding Place” by Corrie ten Boom. The book chronicles the horrible experiences of Corrie and her family imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. The epic cruelty and man's inhumanity to man is breathtakingly unbelievable. Due to the brutality, extreme exposure, malnutrition and filth, Corrie's sister Betsie died about a week before her release.
Two incidents drove home to me the importance of timely acts of kindness. Upon her release, Corrie was struggling to get home. She was dizzy and weak from starvation and could no longer walk because her feet were sore and swollen. A stranger approached. “You look like you need help.” Wow! Corrie leaned on him as he helped her to the train station.
Nearer home, Corrie hobbled into a hospital and told a nurse her story. The nurse left and returned with tea and rusk. She said, “I left the butter off. You're suffering from malnutrition. You must be careful what you eat”.
Corrie said tears tumbled in the hot tea as she drank. It was the first time anyone had shown concern for her in a very long time.
Re-reading this book has affected me. Admittedly, it has probably made me a bit overly sensitive to displaying common decency. I turned on Sean Hannity, who I love. Sean had a big smile on his face while reporting more sleazy details of the Tiger Woods scandal. I could not watch him. I turned the channel. Yes, I turned off Hannity who is one of my heroes and flipped back to his show after he finished the Tiger story.
I am all for exposing characterless politicians who pay for prostitutes with taxpayer funds, take bribes and cut self serving deals. Such politicians negatively affect our lives. Outing them is a public service.
Why is everyone having such a good time exposing every titillating detail of Tiger's fall from grace. Tiger is not outspoken politically. He is a great athlete and private citizen. I realize Tiger betrayed his family and fans. Yes, I understand he is a celebrity who brought all of this on himself. I do not fault the media for reporting the scandal. It is a huge story. Tiger Woods has a sex problem. But again I ask, why is everyone so happy about it?
Some of you are probably saying “Toughen up Lloyd, it's rough out there in the real world”. Like a said, I could be overly sensitive to the Schadenfreude (glee at another's misfortune) I am witnessing. Tiger is a troubled young man. His brilliance on the golf course has thrilled us for nearly a decade. Suddenly everyone seems to be relishing his self destruction. It feels very wrong to me.
I am praying for Tiger and his family. It has been said a fall backward handled correctly can be a spring board forward. It would be wonderful to see Tiger seize this veiled opportunity to prove himself to be a greater champion off the golf course by conquering his demons and restoring his family.
Please do not mistake my sympathy as a dismissal of Tiger's trespasses. He screwed up big time! I am simply saying the joy over it all and the excessive coverage is distasteful. Enough already! We got it!
Who among us would like every embarrassing detail of our sin exposed? Because Tiger is a worldwide icon, does that make the piling on and lack of compassion for him and his humiliated wife OK? Is there an assumed rule, “No humanity for celebs”?
Is it because Tiger is at the top of the heap, people want to see him fall? We have all seen the tabloid covers while waiting in the supermarket check out line, “So and so (pick a celeb) may be rich and famous, but boy are they miserable!”
Could the celebration of Tiger's fall be a reflection of the climate of hatred for achievers nurtured by the Obama administration? Now before you accuse me of piling on Obama, please hear me out.
According to the Obama administration, every successful business in America is obsessed with profits and have achieved via abusing their workers and the virtuous innocent poor. Thus, businesses' ill gotten wealth must be redistributed.
I do not want to wander too far off topic. Back to Tiger. Not only for the sake of Tiger and his family, but for ourselves, it is harmful to continue reveling in Tiger's humiliation.
Lloyd Marcus (black) Unhyphenated American
LloydMarcus.com
Same reason all the celebrity shame stories do so well. We love watching the mighty brought low.
Agreed!
oo woah...meaning agree with the article not the comment up above about “we love seeing celebrites brought low.”
I pray Tiger and his family weather through this storm by turning to CHRIST!
Thanks.
Mainly so that the next time they climb up, they'll better appreciate those who help them climb to the top, and Tiger had a lot of help. Can he be redeemed? Sure, anything is possible, and having his world crash down around him is the first step towards that redemption.
Cause he’s 1/2 black?
Isn’t this the guy who sings at the Tea Parties? Pretty sharp guy to have on our side!
As for Tiger, celebrity gossip is a huge money maker. Not sure what is wrong with Hannity, altho he does get caught up sometimes in silliness.
Actually 1/4 or less.
Perhaps if we are overly focusing on the sins of others, we don’t have the time to look too seriously at our own shortcomings...?
I have a friend who had lunch with Corrie ten Boom once And that lunch proved to be a major turning point in his life....for the better.
I liked Tiger a lot. I appreciate his skill in a very difficult game.
But, when the details came out about what, and who all Tiger did. Well, Tiger has earned the non stop ridicule.
I do feel badly for his family though.
Tiger is a major jerk because of his use of cuss words withing earshot of children. He has had it coming for awhile now...
It’s smart that Tiger takes time off from golf. Right now it would be too much of a circus. But after about six months, people are going to realize that golf without Tiger just isn’t even be the same, even the haters will miss having Tiger around to deride.
So then people will start begging for Tiger to come back, and all is forgiven, etc.
Look at Michael Vick, whose actions were ten times worse than what Tiger did, and he was a spare compared to Tiger. After the circus of the first few games, it died down.
Sure Tiger’s first tournament back will be crazy, but it will settle down quickly afterward.
Why such joy? Because we’re evil, that’s why! Satisfied?
Just like with Climate “Science”, it’s good when the truth comes out. Woods image was highly controlled and managed.
I don’t see many people(especially FReepers)or the other people I know enjoying Tigers’ downfall. He had a great life at home. Maybe he will get a clue and learn to appreciate what he had.
I guess some people have always resented the coverage Tiger gets on TV. In the early years of Tiger's ascendancy, I did, too. The announcers seemed to dismiss all the other golfers in favor of Tiger. However, though the years, Tiger's achievements are so impressive I cannot help but admire him for his talent and single mindedness of purpose on the golf course, and I have been cheering him for years. I will miss having him on the course this coming season.
It is a measuring gauge of the current condition of our society. I am glad to see that adultery, serial adultery, actually, is still viewed with some disdain.
What little exposure I allow myself to current pop culture, made me wonder if Wood's abhorrent anti-family behavior would be simply shrugged off with a dismissive, “So what? Everybody does it.”
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