Sunday, July 05, 2009

Jim Brown Decrees, You’re Not Altruistic Enough, Tiger Woods

When, exactly, did Jim Brown, or any other individual for that matter, garner the authority to direct how Tiger Woods, or any other private individual, should live their personal lives?

In a piece written by AP sports writer Tim Dahlberg titled Should Tiger save the world or just save par?, Brown is quoted as follows.

What Brown doesn’t appreciate is that Woods doesn’t seem to be burdened by much of a social conscience. He thinks Woods should be doing more—far more— than just playing golf and making money.

He believes that Woods’ quest for greatness comes with a responsibility the greats take on.

“You know what’s so interesting about Tiger to me?” Brown said. “He is a killer, he will run over you. … But as an individual for social change? Terrible. Terrible. Because he can get away with teaching kids to play golf, and that’s his contribution.”

Brown continues, alluding to another famous black athlete whose “social conscience” Brown believes should be prodded into more extravagant altruism.

Brown made the comments last week on HBO’s “Real Sports,” and Woods wasn’t his only target. He didn’t name the other, but you can be pretty sure his initials are MJ and he used to play basketball for the Chicago Bulls.

“There are one or two individuals in this country that are black that have been put in front of us as an example,” he told host Bryant Gumbel. “But they’re basically under a system that says, hey, they’re not going to deal with certain things. Yes, that disappoints me because I know they both know better.”

Wahlberg evidently takes the side of Brown, in his commentary on Woods and Michael Jordan, as is evidenced in Wahlberg’s worded jabs at these two giant athletes.

But the urgency felt by a black man from a generation that grew up being forced to use separate drinking fountains and ride in the back of the bus throughout the South to speak out about change isn’t felt by a black man whose devotion to golf is matched seemingly only by his devotion to make as much money as humanly possible.

Indeed, with a person of mixed heritage much like himself running for president, Woods wouldn’t even publicly endorse Barack Obama. He never gave his reasons—who knows, he might have liked John McCain—but the fact Buick was paying him $8 million a year and Republicans tend to buy Buicks might have something to do with it.

Jordan had a similar reaction when asked to intervene with a photo op on behalf of a black Senate candidate in North Carolina in the 1990s. He declined, saying “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”

Brown’s pronouncements regarding private individuals’ “social conscience,” or alleged lack thereof, are symptomatic of the decline of the freedom with which Americans’ used to live their lives.  The State has many willing partners to spread their ideological, wealth distributive message, which is meant to shame you for personal, individual success.  It’s sacrifice the State desires, in the pejorative sense, and you’re the fatted calf.

Posted by John Venlet on 07/05 at 08:28 AM
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