Frank Rich has produced a remarkable essay - "Tiger Woods, Person of the Year." The essay is writing at its best - insightful, wise, reality-enhancing. The essay's message will be given many pseduo-knowingily nods from a society of narcissists. It's message will be missed, since people are a product of their cultures. And our culture has taught us to pay attention to illusions, to shadows, and to brands:
If there’s been a consistent narrative to this year and every other in this decade, it’s that most of us, Bernanke included, have been so easily bamboozled. The men who played us for suckers, whether at Citigroup or Fannie Mae, at the White House or Ted Haggard’s megachurch, are the real movers and shakers of this century’s history so far. That’s why the obvious person of the year is Tiger Woods. His sham beatific image, questioned by almost no one until it collapsed, is nothing if not the farcical reductio ad absurdum of the decade’s flimflams, from the cancerous (the subprime mortgage) to the inane (balloon boy).
Perfect. The Tiger Woods people care about is not the real Tiger Woods. Sorry, but you don't know Tiger Woods. You know the media creation, Tiger Woods Inc.
Why would it surprise anyone that a billionaire, high testosterone, celebrity pro athlete with women throwing themselves at him and whose wife is a gold digger who'd have ignored Tiger Woods qua Tiger woods, would cheat on his wife? We were surprised because we paid attention to shadows. We believed the pronouncements from the temple in our living room.
We didn't see Tiger Woods for who is he. Demographically, his behavior isn't surprising. Indeed, it's expected. Or do you know a lot of rich, high testosterone men who are able to resist groupies?
People are not people. People are brands. A guy appears on a screen in your home. Pixels burning on your screen. Suddenly you think you know him. You feel an emotional connection. Tiger Woods doesn't win. "We win."
"Great shot, Tiger," a man says to a television screen to a person who cannot hear him. Tiger Woods wouldn't share a drink with you, but you think you know him.
How could you think that? Really...How could you think you know him?
Do you even know the people you live with - your spouses, your kids, your co-workers, and friends? What's your best friend's favorite food, movie, deepest fear, and greatest triumph?
Tiger Woods is indeed the Man of the Year. He's an avatar of today. We think we know a person we've never met and real life. We think we know a person who doesn't even exist.
