Tiger By The Tail: The Un-Making of the Model Black Man

12.07.2009

There are a number of incoherent thoughts about this fake scandal swimming around in my head, but I don’t think I could articulate it any better than this screen shot of the front page of The Daily Beast does:

America has lost their mind over this story.

Tiger Woods was the perfect Black American Hero. Self-effacing, non-threatening, sufficiently asexual, even after he married a blonde model and fathered a child. He’s the kind of Black male America loves to hold up as a standard, because he’s safe, and he’s capable of navigating the rarified air of private golf clubs, celebrity, and stratospheric wealth.

All that came crashing down when Woods’ wife, to use his words, “went ghetto” on him.

I’m trying to make sense of why this story matters so much to so many people (read: “White Americans”). I think the shattering of Woods’ safe public image plays a part, but I think something more sinister is at work. When Michael Jordan, another Great Black American Hero, got caught out there, I don’t think the media maelstrom came anywhere close to that which surrounds the Woods story. And I suspect that has a lot to do with the race of the women involved.

Safari - juanita jordan hosted by EmberJuanita Jordan is a Black woman.

Elin Nordegren is a White woman.

What this says to me is that society cared less about Michael Jordan’s indiscretions because Black women are not held up as the standard, the pinnacle of womanhood. Juanita Jordan, beautiful though she may be, would not meet the dominant culture’s idea of a trophy wife.

Safari - Elin Nordegren hosted by EmberThe collective, yet unspoken thought that our society shares about the Woods affair is: “He cheated? On her? But look at her!”

White womanhood is so prized that society and our media are struggling to believe that Woods could ever step out on the Ultimate Trophy Wife.

Macon D. at Stuff White People Do wrote a long and well-thought out piece about this scandal. In it, he asked a white female friend why she followed the Woods scandal so closely:

“If Tiger Woods, probably the most famous black athlete in the world, maybe the most famous athlete period these days — if Tiger Woods were having problems like this with a black wife instead of a white one, would you care as much?”

My friend kind of . . . froze. And then she started nodding her head again, and said, “You know something? That’s a pretty good point. I don’t think I would care as much. I don’t think, actually, to be honest, that I’d care nearly as much.”

Looking at the screen shot from the Daily Beast, I’d say that Macon D. and his friend are on to something.

I don’t want to suggest that this is only a White fixation. After all, lots of Black media outlets are covering this story as well. A lot of us can’t believe Tiger cheated on Elin Nordegren either.

  • http://sheenonline.biz Rahsheen

    Wow! I never even thought about it like that, but it makes sense. It's probably not the only reason, but I agree it may have something to do with it. Really makes you think.

  • http://twitter.com/TM_Washington Terence M Washington

    What has me riled, well not visibly, but to a degree, is the fact that many Professional Golfers are being sought out by some media outlets for an opinion on the matter. I mean, these are Professional Golfers, in some sense, employees. They don't know Tiger well enough; no one can outrightly predict when a husband or a wife is going to lead astray for a mistress or lover. I'm perpetually numb whenever media heads call for Tiger to explain his actions, when in the fanfare of history it is noted that men cheat on their wives, for greater or more sexual reasons. In keeping with the theme that, perhaps if Tiger's wife was of similar ethnicity or face, does leave me(and any capable person) to believe that this situation wouldn't be one. Decry him for cheating, but don't vilify him because of his race or the fact he stepped out on what some would coin “the perfect wife”.

  • Cecily Walker

    There's a lot to chew on in your comment, Terrence, but I wanted to touch on one thing: throughout history, it has been the practice for media to find white people who can explain the actions of black people, or somehow vouch for their character — regardless of whether they know the individual personally, or only know them because they share the same profession. That is what is at play here in some small part, but it also has to do with the 24-hour news cycle, and needing something to fill up those cycles, even with information that is only tangentially related.

  • TM_Washington

    So in the span of filing in, or looking to kill time until another hotbed story rears it's head, we are forced to read, watch, and listen to presumed “wedding counselors” tell us the habits of Tiger woods( or black men in this query)?

  • Cecily Walker

    You're not forced to watch. You could turn your TV off. ;-) But yes, the void has to be filled somehow.

  • http://www.schoolofdating.com/ steve the dean williams

    My god you guys dont get it. If she was Doing her job in the bedroom and not playing the good wife he wouldnt look for other women who do dirty stuff. open you eyes ladies if you dont take care of your man this is what happens

  • http://twitter.com/RPM RPM

    - The collective, yet unspoken thought that our society shares about the Woods affair is: “He cheated? On her? But look at her!” -

    That was the very thing that kept making my head implode. That sort of incredulity was both aesthetically shallow and racially charged in the “you can do no better” sense. Every time I hear it, I want to find a nine iron myself – as if cheating (in many cases) has a thing to do with the perceived desirability of one's partner. In all fairness though, the timing, the radio silence after it all, the busted truck window and an “incoherent, bloody” Tiger sprawled across his driveway certainly helped to make this more newsworthy than it should have been. Excellent post, sorry I didn't catch it earlier.

  • Cecily Walker

    I have to say I'm surprised at how generous people are being with the media in this thread. What I mean is, explanations about the timing of the story/the slow news cycle surprise me, because I don't expect the media to do any better when it comes to salacious stories like this. I admit I'm jaded, but maybe I'm more of a pessimist than I'm willing to admit.

  • sj.hairston

    The fact is there are no black men on the level as Tiger. If there were they would be treated the same way no matter what the color of thier wife's skin. Sister would you get down from the cross and see that its not a race thing and that black women dont have to call Oprah for a special show about how no one cares about the black woman.The issue here is simple a man who is not capable of forming normal healthy relationships. The game of golf is a solitary game in which a man plays the golf course and himself. Tiger has become so entranced with himself that he could no see beyond his on self need for affection and control. The fact that his wife was not black did not and should not matter. Tiger has always distanced himself from anything to do with his African-American heritage. This probably stated with the views of his father who by all accounts was suffering from self hate. Tiger was raised believe that he was above all things and golf was his religion. The fall from grace is a simple example of when a man is raised to not know who his is outside of a sport this is what happens, a sad lonely man searching for love in cheep waffle house across America.

  • http://twitter.com/RPM RPM

    I think it's unreasonable to think there is NOTHING racially tinged about the coverage. Let's not get crazy. Cecily's made some very valid points about the double standard of race and gender in the media. Oprah? Seriously?

  • sj.hairston

    Oprah? Seriously? Yes, she the pentacle of success in this country. But you may have a point,if the Oprah show is not quite suited for you RPM, perhaps you would find the Mo’Nique show a better forum for bitter angry black women. For once can you woeful black women not make everything about yourselves?

  • Cecily Walker

    First, you don't know me, so don't assume you know anything at all about me based on what I've written in one post. Second: If you're going to hurl insults at me or at my other guests, I'll be deleting your posts.

    There may not be anyone in current popular sports culture “who is at the level of TIger”, but there have been in the past. I feel confident that I made that point about Michael Jordan. Maybe you're not old enough to remember what a pop culture sensation he was; I don't know you so it isn't fair for me to assume. The only parallel that comes even close to this one is the scandal that erupted when Bryant Gumbel left his (black) wife for a (blonde) white woman, but even then, the press coverage wasn't nearly as widespread as with this story.

    I ultimately care not one whit who Tiger Woods forms relationships with – no matter how tenuous those relationships may be. This post was a commentary on the media coverage, and how this coverage is racially tinged. Whether or not you choose to believe it, there are some black women who don't denigrate black men for their romantic preferences, and I happen to be one of them.

    C., I deleted your comment below this one because after I deleted the insulting one, your reply lost its context.

  • sj.hairston

    The one thing I do know about you is that a view that is different from yours you find threatening, and you feel the need to attack. The media is doing their job. Why does everything always come down to race? President Clinton was involved is a despicable affair, and it was covered by the media with the same zeal that they are covering Tiger. Its simple: if you are big, then the coverage is big> When Tiger was winning majors where were you commenting on the amount of media coverage? In grace Tiger was a media darling and in disgrace he is the same. Tiger is news. My point was why can’t you and those who espouse to your views understand that just because there no black women in the story that Tigers now a target of the media. Without the media we would not have the President that we have now.

  • sj.hairston

    The fact is there are no black men on the level as Tiger. If there were they would be treated the same way no matter what the color of thier wife's skin. Sister would you get down from the cross and see that its not a race thing and that black women dont have to call Oprah for a special show about how no one cares about the black woman.The issue here is simple a man who is not capable of forming normal healthy relationships. The game of golf is a solitary game in which a man plays the golf course and himself. Tiger has become so entranced with himself that he could no see beyond his on self need for affection and control. The fact that his wife was not black did not and should not matter. Tiger has always distanced himself from anything to do with his African-American heritage. This probably stated with the views of his father who by all accounts was suffering from self hate. Tiger was raised believe that he was above all things and golf was his religion. The fall from grace is a simple example of when a man is raised to not know who his is outside of a sport this is what happens, a sad lonely man searching for love in cheep waffle house across America.

  • http://twitter.com/RPM RPM

    I think it's unreasonable to think there is NOTHING racially tinged about the coverage. Let's not get crazy. Cecily's made some very valid points about the double standard of race and gender in the media. Oprah? Seriously?

  • Cecily Walker

    First, you don't know me, so don't assume you know anything at all about me based on what I've written in one post. Second: If you're going to hurl insults at me or at my other guests, I'll be deleting your posts.

    There may not be anyone in current popular sports culture “who is at the level of TIger”, but there have been in the past. I feel confident that I made that point about Michael Jordan. Maybe you're not old enough to remember what a pop culture sensation he was; I don't know you so it isn't fair for me to assume. The only parallel that comes even close to this one is the scandal that erupted when Bryant Gumbel left his (black) wife for a (blonde) white woman, but even then, the press coverage wasn't nearly as widespread as with this story.

    I ultimately care not one whit who Tiger Woods forms relationships with – no matter how tenuous those relationships may be. This post was a commentary on the media coverage, and how this coverage is racially tinged. Whether or not you choose to believe it, there are some black women who don't denigrate black men for their romantic preferences, and I happen to be one of them.

    C., I'm sorry to leave your comment without much context, but I didn't want to let the snide and vaguely dismissive comment before it stand in this space.

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