Posted by John Keller
As Americans we confront vigorous debates on how to deal with unemployment, how to finance real estate in a down market, government's role in health care and private business, and whether "global warming" is a legitimate threat or an elaborate hoax. So what dominates the front pages?
Tiger Woods.
For those of you just back from extended vacations on Saturn, Tiger Woods plays golf, and gets a lot of money for doing so ... okay, so he doesn't just play golf; he's the best of his generation, and one of the all-time greats, and this gets Tiger Woods a LOT of attention.
He gets so much attention, in fact, that big companies that make Nike shoes and Gatorade beverages have Tiger Woods selling their products -- for which the golfer also gets a lot of money.
Lately it's become known that Tiger Woods cheated on his wife with a lot of different women. Mr. Woods and his cuckolded wife, by the way, have small children, which makes his extramarital affairs that much worse.
Now, in the interests of full disclosure, I don't play golf, have absolutely no skills in golf, don't watch golf on television, and consider golf to be irrelevant to my life. I know people who are enthusiastic golfers, like to talk golf, and get a lot of enjoyment and personal rewards from golf, and I think that's just great ...
... but do I have to wake up every morning to Tiger Woods, hear about Tiger Woods on TV and radio, see his face on countless Internet pages and newspapers?
I'm tired of Tiger Woods. Unless he has something to do with me and mine, I don't want to hear about him anymore. I don't want to see his face anymore, I don't want to know how many mistresses he's had (I've already run out of enough fingers and toes to count).
Here's the deal -- what Tiger Woods has done, is doing, or will do, is none of my business, and I'd be grateful to keep it that way ...
... so no more. Please.
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Good luck with that. Our culture has become one centered (obsessed?) around vacuous celebrities who in the overall scheme of things contribute little of value to our society (even if they are the best golfer ever, Oscar winning actress, etc.) As I see it, they extract huge taxes on us in terms of endorsements, movie ticket prices, CD and DVD prices, greens fees, whatever so we can live vicariously through their lives. Unless they develop build things or manufacture products they do not create any wealth. They simply extract it from the rest of us. I've become so digusted with Hollyweird and "professional" sports, I rarely watch TV, never go to the movies anymore, and I won't pay exhorbitant ticket prices and concession stand prices to go see a game. I have much better things to do with my very short life than to waste it on that.
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