thinking aloud

nent, successful, easy on the eye celebrity was the

Photo courtesy: dpa-PA

requirement, and Tiger fit the bill. Was morality on

the checklist, I wonder.
Am I defending Woods and his infidelity? No, not at
all. Neither am I going to resort to the tickle-me-funny
humour on his irons, birdies and tees.
But as long as his escapades were not on the
greens or during a tournament, it’s really not the pub-
lic’s business. What transpired is strictly between
him, his wife and his many ‘interests’.
Infidelity, it seems, only becomes an issue when

Tiger and Elin before the smiles were publicly erased

transgressions are made public.
Are we to believe that a supremely intelligent Hil-
lary Clinton had to be informed of the charming Bill’s
roving eye only through the drama that played out in
the media? Obviously there are concerns other than
‘marriage’ that pushes a cheated upon spouse to not
react.
Are we to believe that Elin Nordegren was un-
aware of the dozen women husband dear found time
for (despite – or because of – his hectic travel sched-
ule)? I am sure she is embarrassed and angry. But is

Infidelity
that because he was stupid enough to cheat or stupid
enough to get caught?
Monogamy and fidelity is probably not for every-
one. However, once the commitment is made – in
for the inch, in for the mile! You cannot alter the very

Do we play
foundation of what a marriage is about: commitment
and loyalty. So, no doubt, Tiger will have to be pe-
nalised; the penalty is not ours to mete out, though.

moral
He and his family will have to make their peace. This
does not even concern the dozen ladies, who knew
very well what they were getting into. It’s not like Ti-
ger was incognito while out on a romp – his is one of

police
the most recognised faces world over.
Tiger and his hunts aside, infidelity seems to be
taking new and varied shades. We at Woman Today
have written about it before – emotional infidelity,
workplace attachments, and now the more prevalent
By Vani Saraswathi online infidelities.

I
The beauty of the virtual world is that it lets you
can’t quite understand the whole brouhaha recreate yourself. To show only the best and most
over Tiger Woods and his affairs. Sponsors appealing – between the real and the imagined, the
are distancing themselves from him, as if line is blurring. Old associations spring up, new (never
he were the fountainhead of H1N1. Since likely to meet in person) friends get intimate; the time
when have corporates adopted a con- we spend online increases by the week... the environ-
science; and pray tell me, who made them ment is ripe for indiscretions!
(or us) the moral police? So before we judge or open ourselves up for judge-
Then why isn’t a Rev Desmond Tutu, a Moham- ment, let’s look at the commitments we have made
med Younus or an Aung Saan Suu Kyi their poster – to a partner and more importantly to the children
boy/girl? How wonderful it would have been to use (if any).
these figures in a TVC or a print campaign to pro- Experts say affairs are not planned, it just happens.
mote a telecom or techie giant... Extensive market However, just because it isn’t planned, doesn’t mean
research, I am sure, dictated the opposite. A promi- it cannot be prevented

72 January 2010

WT_ January '10 Ayush.indd 72 1/6/10 4:28:46 PM