Tiger's Moment

Today, Tiger Woods shall walk the secular via dolorosa that men ranging from Governor Elliot Spitzer to David Duchovny hath trod. It is the sex scandal admission press conference, an ordeal that has become a staple of American public life and mainstream media coverage.

The SSAPC (we must abbreviate) is a decidedly modern invention. President John F. Kennedy's sexual dalliances were known amongst the White House press corps in the '60s, but back then, dirty secrets were still dirty and, well, secret. There were some thing you just didn't talk about.

Nothing is off the table now, though. What was once the ultimate private act is now the ultimate public act. This is the era of Paris Hilton and "Snooki". Rare is the man who has not seen Kim Kardashian's nethers. In such a climate, airing someone else's sexual baggage is not only common, it is a cottage industry.

So there is no way off the hook. Tiger has to do this. Otherwise, he will never be able to begin the long, slow resuscitation of his personal and professional image. Expect him to express regret, to cry, to make much of the pain he has caused Elin and the kids. Perhaps a therapy session on Oprah's couch is in order.

Mind you, I am not saying that ALL the hubbub surrounding Tiger's issues is neccesarily good or bad. The media coverage of a man's sins seems inherently unethical to me, but then, so does the alternative. Some commentators have raised legitimate points about Tiger's duplicity. This was a man who was hailed for his discipline, would you believe. A world in which Tiger Woods can get away with all of this wouldn't be much better.

But what if our cultural obsession with sex, inherent in today's looming media circus, is part of the problem? Blatant moral relativism has replaced moral principle in the classroom, the home, the newspaper, and even the Church in some cases. Can we really elevate a talented, popular man to such blinding heights of celebrity and, given the world's general lack of sexual mores, expect him not to succumb to temptations like Tiger has? Can we fault the wayward for their disordered appetites when we have instructed them from childhood that nothing is inherently wrong and that sex need only be consensual to be acceptable?

The answer to all of this is formation. Formation that, if it is not religious in nature, should at least instill a more generic sense of restraint, fidelity, and integrity.