Tiger Woods Played By Different Rules

In the USA, the celebrity-obsessed culture is constantly fed by the mass news media which permeates to far reaching corners of the globe setting trends for the rest of the world to follow this repulsive obsession. The Tiger Woods apology posted on his website has proven yet again that the rich and powerful do have an advantage over the rest of the population- infidelity in relationships included among others.


"I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply," Woods admitted talking about his numerous sexual indiscretions and reckless behaviour. “I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them. I was wrong. I was foolish. I don’t get to play by different rules.”

Tiger Woods has made history on and off the golf course since he joined the PGA Tour in 1996. First up was a record $40 million contract from Nike. The following year he won the Masters by a record 12 strokes, becoming the youngest winner ever and first black player to take the title. His career has been packed full of accomplishments, including major titles (14), annual money titles (9) and Player of the Year awards (9). Woods is also the first athlete to earn $1 billion.

Tiger Woods is now a billion dollar brand. In his carefully scripted self-loathing apology, it is not surprising that Woods also apologized to his business partners.

Behavior expert and physician Drew Pinsky who has co-authored the book "The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America" has given a very interesting take on the cultural influence of celebrity narcissism; a culture whose young emulate the behavior of celebrity models.

In answer to a question in an interview, "What do you mean by the "mirror effect," and why do you say it's a problem?"- Drew says:

"I've been working with celebrities many, many years. I've treated many for chemical dependency and the like. They have profound childhood trauma. It's not something to do with their job or the life they lead. They just happen to be people driven to seek celebrity as a way to make themselves feel better. Then the question becomes, why are we preoccupied with this population? This points toward the mirror. We, too, have been increasingly narcissistic. I speculate that that's what drives us toward this phenomenon of elevating people to almost god-like status. It's not so much that it's the glamour we like focusing on — rather it's the dysfunction. We're taking someone who needs to be a god and making them a god. Then we spend all our energy tearing them down."

Celebrity narcissism, the term narcissism meaning that a person is totally absorbed in self sets a bad example for kids who view these celebrities as role models.

Cricket Star Adam Gilchrist who was nominated as the Australian of the Year has hit out at the obsession with instant celebrities who are famous only for being on YouTube.

Gilchrist urged the nation to embrace role models of substance.

The chairman of the Australia Day Council said only people who showed sustained effort over many years to make Australia a better place should be put on a pedestal.

Gilchrist told a gala dinner at Parliament House, marking the 50th anniversary of the Australian of the Year award, that celebrity worship was a worry.

"As our obsession with celebrity continues to grow, renown seems to come these days, for some at least, on the back of a few minutes of outrageous behaviour or a funny clip on YouTube," he said.


In the very tightly controlled stage set where Tiger Woods addressed his scandal for the first time, he has also demonstrated how skilled he is at dodging and ducking personal questions. Even though he said that he does not get to play by different rules, by his refusal to take any questions from reporters he has contradicted himself and confirmed that indeed he plays by different rules.