This has nothing to do with cults, conspiracies, and secret societies, but just for the record, I was absolutely bowled over by the Tiger Woods Nike ad that debuted this week. For sheer bad taste, I have never seen anything quite like it. Screwing cocktail waitresses on the sly while promoting yourself to America's business class as a paragon of focus and discipline might not be exactly admirable or edifying, but it falls within the purview of known human foibles and besides, it's not really any of my business. Channeling your dead Dad's disappointment to sell branded shoes and golf gear is something else altogether. If nothing else, it lays bare the ethos of the marketplace.
When I defined Capitalism in my book Isms & Ologies, I noted that it was less an economic system than "the absence of a centrally organized economic system." Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations described a paradox--that the more vigorously people pursue their selfish ends, the more material benefits accrue to society as a whole. Whether you believe that or not, you don't have to be a religious fanatic or a political radical to recognize that there is no intrinsic virtue in avarice or raw will to power, any more than there is in gravity or the second law of thermodynamics. Jesus wouldn't have been Jesus if not for human depravity, but that doesn't make sin a good thing.
Consumers identify with winners--we want to play on their teams. Tiger Woods is still a winning athlete; I can well understand why the aspirational marketers at Nike were so loath to lose him. If he truly wanted to be a role model, his very public comeuppance gave him the opportunity to show us the hard work of redemption; how real character can prevail. I think it's safe to say that he squandered it.
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Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks: Tiger's Big Question: Did You Learn Anything?
In his recent Nike commercial, a stone-faced Tiger Woods stares into the camera as he listens to the voice of his late father, Earl. The commercial closes with the question, "Did you learn anything?"
the Tiger story with the "next chapter -redemption" ad.
Those selling the "sinner chapters" for money were being challenged.
But Tiger was not a "new transformed humble man" at the Masters.
Sad - he has been a commodity since childhood: his dad, Stanford,
early handlers and "friends", as well as sponsors.
Looks like it will be "flavor of the month" for awhile.
For all I know Tiger Woods's remorse is genuine--that's not for me to say. What galls me is that he and Nike are monetizing it . Jimmy Swaggart's crocodile tears were creepy enough, but imagine if he had turned on the waterworks for a Pepsi commercial.
point the light on those in elected office who use
their 'Father" to further their rise in politics and to
support their policies and proposals.
GWB said he spoke with his "Father" when firming
up his decision to go to war in Iraq. Others too often
publicly ally themselves with their deity to gain public support
for their decision making, frequently with disasterous results.
At least Tiger's video utilized his actual father's voice and advice,
a methodology I find much less offensive and more rooted in
reality. Has anyone actually heard God's voice as others often claim?
This kind of advertising is disgusting and lowest common denominator...what are we coming to in this world that we use ourselves this way to make a profit?!
Thank you for this post!
he got caught is the only difference between him and many of us sitting in judgment famous and non famous even some he shares the golf course with.
don't get me wrong i don't think he was right to cheat but as to how that effects his life. his marriage thats up to his wife. how he makes a living that's up to his fans. and as log as he plays golf well without cheating .his fans won't complain because they're getting what they're paying for.
if you're not a fan don't watch him play or buy products he endorses if they helps,