I don’t know about you, but I’m finding myself entertained by the controversy that sprung forth when Tiger Woods revealed that the things he’s paid to say and the things that he wants to say are two entirely different things. I also found myself thinking a bit about whether or not someone like Woods has a responsibility to take a stance against exclusion based on race and gender, and the more I thought about it, the stronger I felt that he does. Precious few people find themselves in a position to say something that reaches as many ears as his voice does, and part of my core belief system is that I feel that we all have a fundamental responsibility to try to improve the world around us in whatever ways we find ourselves able. Tommie Smith and John Carlos held their fists up over their heads on the Olympic medal stand in 1968, nearly a hundred musicians put together Live Aid in an effort to improve conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, and the NFL took the the Super Bowl away from Arizona when the state refused to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. day; all found themselves able to bring about social change due to their stature. Perhaps its time for Tiger Woods to do the same.
Aug 18, 2002 | Q
I was disappointed the CSM article completely overlooked the fact he’s only 25% black, and what role that might play in his choices regarding banner-waving. He himself takes a more diffident approach eschewing labels; when asked, he’s used the made-up word cablinasian to describe himself — even though there’s often a one drop rule that causes whites and blacks alike to define a person who looks even a little black as part of the minority. CSM says he “belongs to a racial minority” … but which minority?
Going by plurality, he’s Thai.
• Posted by: Dan Hartung on Aug 18, 2002, 10:02 PMUh, Dan, since when is Tiger’s father not wholly African-American?
• Posted by: Dreama on Aug 20, 2002, 6:24 AMUh, Dan, since when is Tiger’s father not wholly African-American?
Since birth, I would imagine.
“His father’s ancestry is African, European, and Native American. But like other Americans of African descent, the elder Woods is called simply “black,” and so most often is his son.”
• Posted by: shannon on Aug 20, 2002, 9:40 AM