A little help over here, please! Would someone — anyone — please, pull the plug on the Tiger Woods saga! There’s got to be someone who can help. I beg you, please!
I ask: Whose business is it — other than the family’s — to pry, investigate, break down, over-analyze and research this personal matter to such an extent? When a story of this nature leaves the confines of those affected, it’s not news, it’s gossip — pure and simple!
The media has to ask itself a basic question when deciding to run it: WWCRT? — Would Walter Cronkite report this? Has integrity been sacrificed for the sake of “over-the-backyard-fence” chatter?
Dare I say that our present day, chest-pumping-gesture-of-superiority generation has failed to progress, but has actually slid backwards in the area of decency, compassion and ethics in reporting the news? The line between hard-biting stories and non-essential fluff has been blurred to the point where headlines of ongoing wars share the same page as stories of an athlete’s infidelity.
Woods’ apology — dictated by a demanding public with both an enormous and erroneous sense of entitlement — did little to appease a cynical media which expects someone to be contrite on its terms ... not on the apologist’s. Sorry, that’s not the way it works. You either accept an apology or you don’t — and move on. It can’t get any simpler than that.
The deluge of “talking heads” have had a field day since Tiger’s press conference by issuing proclamations as to what he “should have” done. “Shoulda,” “coulda” and “woulda” are nothing more than tools of the trade for Monday morning quarterbacks. Unsolicited opinions gussied up as fact are being thrown at us faster than governmental tax-hikes.
The whole issue revolves around the fact that society’s own self-made expectations (of Tiger’s character) have met disappointment. He’s being castigated by adults for failing to live up to an image of perfection that they had bestowed upon him. An image that they themselves are incapable of achieving. I’ve heard comments that he’s let our youth down as a role model. Is that the case? Is it really a role model implosion or a vicarious adult-fantasy gone awry?
Why is there more attention on Tiger as opposed to rap artists and rock stars whose lives of infidelity, violence and drug abuse are much worse? Maybe, it’s because the adults are more concerned with their own role models than those of their children’s. It’s much easier to look noble when we pretend our concern is for someone else.
I’m not going to dwell on this anymore because I know what you’re thinking: If I’m so vehement about the on-going stories about the Tiger Woods deal, then why am I writing one myself? And if there was no room for “fluff” in the news, my column would never get published. Good question and a valid point.
I’ll tell you what: I’ll schedule a press conference in about a month or so to explain — and possibly apologize — for this article. Until then, keep talking about it ... please.
Happy birthday, mom. I miss you.
And that’s the way it looks from the Valley.
Tom Valley is a Medina resident. His column appears every Thursday. Contact him at tvalley@rochester.rr.com.
Opinion
VALLEY: Fore he's a jolly good fellow ... or not
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There are bobcats in our area
In recent years, local residents have had the chance to witness some interesting animals within our borders. Among those that generated the most press and most talk were the black bears that frequented the area for a couple of months. The beasts elicited either fear or appreciation, depending on one’s perception of bruins. More often than not, the former emotion ruled the day.
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Governor needs to stay on point
Last week in the governor’s State of the State address, Cuomo said he’s taking on a new job. He’s going to be an advocate for the kids. In fact, Cuomo went so far as to say that he’s going to be the only advocate that kids have.
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CONFER: A warning about the WARN Act
Entrepreneurship has always had its basis in the understanding and handling of the unknown. No business owner has ever known exactly what his customers want, what the markets hold, or what his competitors are doing. But, they’ve always had a good idea about what might happen and, from the theoretical standpoint, what should happen.
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VALLEY: I'm amused by the little things
Am I the only one amused by the fact that few (if any) people have ever seen a woman in a dress like the ones in the fashion section of a newspaper? I’m talking about the illustrated apparel — designed by people with one name — that’s supposed to be what people will be wearing in the next fashion cycle.
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Recognize our hometown heroes
If you haven’t driven through Holley this summer, you’ve missed quite a sight. The light posts and electrical poles throughout the village are adorned with Hometown Heroes banners. Each one recognizes someone from the village who is actively serving in the military. The attractive banners are 72 inches tall and about half as wide and each one is adorned with a large photo of the serviceman/woman along with his or her name and branch.
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VALLEY: Inactive seniors and over-reacting juniors
Have you seen the commercial on television where the young gal who is at the age where she knows everything there is to know about life and the world says something to the effect that a recent study had shown that older people tend to live less of a social life than they did in the past?
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VALLEY: The other side of a tragedy
In late June of 2010, I wrote a column about my friend, Dave Cook. Back then, Dave and his wife, Carol (and daughter, Chelsea) had been through a Hell-ish scare when a liaison with the U.S. Marine Corps had left a message about their son, Sgt. Trevor T. Cook. Trevor was serving in Afghanistan at the time.
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CONFER: The real story behind your power bill
As long as the Public Service Commission allows a pending rate change from National Grid — and there’s no reason they wouldn’t — the electric company’s customers will see significant savings come Jan. 1. The bill for the typical household/apartment will be nearly $9.50 lower per month, while homeowners with families (who use more power) drop by almost $16. That’s $114 and $192 in extra spending money per year. Not too shabby.
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VALLEY: Don't take offense to this
I was making a delivery last week in my Napa pick-up truck when I noticed another truck several car lengths ahead of me. At first, I thought that it, too, was a work truck, because I could see a large sign across the tailgate.
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CONFER: N.Y. should tax public pensions
New York residents are excluded from paying state taxes on the first $20,000 of their retirement income from private pensions. If they happen to be former government workers, though, things are quite different: Local, state, federal and military retirees don’t pay any state tax at all on their publicly-provided pensions, whether it’s $20,000 or $80,000.
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