Tiger Woods Is Back:

4 Lessons for Activists
by Mickey Z.

If we were to follow the cues of the corporate media, we’d focus on the multi-millionaire in Nike gear strolling across pesticide-laden grass more than, say, New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation ruling that the “obsolete cooling system at the Indian Point nuclear power plant violates the federal Clean Water Act by polluting the river with heated water and needlessly killing vast numbers of fish.”

But what if we were to spend a minute or two examining the Tiger spectacle?

 

What might we, as activists, learn?

 

To follow, are 4 possible lessons:

1. Sexism
I have a thought experiment for you: How many female celebrities could have their lack of self-control and sexual habits exposed for public consumption and yet somehow end up welcomed back with open arms? Maybe we should ask Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears?

2. Labor
Tiger Woods is well-paid (read: well-paid) for strutting around in lots of free shirts, hats, etc. But almost 75 percent of the price of a garment made in a sweatshop goes into the pockets of the manufacturer and retailer.

3. Environmentalism
According to the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides: “The extensive use of pesticides on golf courses raises serious questions about people’s toxic exposure, drift over neighboring communities, water contamination, and effects on wildlife and sensitive ecosystems.” Then there’s the water usage, e.g. the average amount of water used by one golf course in Thailand is enough for 60,000 Thai villagers for one day.

4. Propaganda
As mentioned above, the most important function of the Tiger Woods saga is to distract us from realities like 80 percent of the world’s forests are already gone. The corporate-run media has no interest in us focusing on stuff like corporate pollution.