Tiger: A Tale of Infidelity and Abuse.

I want to be 100% clear here. Everyone who has pointed out that even one incident of violence should be taken seriously -- you are correct. If every partner left the first time they were hit, we'd have no domestic violence. However, my main point in this piece is that infidelity is abuse. Elin Nordegren's angry response is understandable, but taking her rage to a physical level is not. If she was violent (which we don't know for certain) that is definitely wrong. And no doubt about it, Tiger Wood's serial, predatory infidelity is wrong too. It's not criminal, but on a scale of immorality, to me it's worse than criminal.

The females that are claiming to have had sex with Tiger should also be held accountable for their actions. I would like to see Elin sue each of these women for alienation of affection. Please don't get me wrong....Tiger is totally at fault but there is something terribly wrong with women that openly have affairs with married fathers and then go on national television and brag about it. Perhaps, if more celebrity wives went to the trouble of bringing suit against their actions, this craziness would lessen. The Woods' children are the ultimate victims in this story.

Finally, finally people are coming out against Tiger. But it's taken a VERY long time! And so much of the criticism has been about his choice of partners (as if having more sophisticated, racially diverse adulterous partners would make his betrayal of his wife more palatable) and his bungling of a public relations situation. In my mind, Tiger Woods deserves heat not for these transgressions but for being a predatory, serial adulterer who treated his wife and young children with great cruelty.

Hmm...mixed emotions with this post...Although Elin's actions were unacceptable, so were Tiger's and both are guilty. Him for years of infidelity and her for using violence as a result of his infidelity. No one should be hit with any object period. Who knows, she may have been physically abusing him the whole time! But I think she should have left him- this is setting a bad example for her kids- teaching them that infidelity and violence are acceptable in a marriage. Adultery is grounds for divorce- and this was no isolated incident, he cheated on her multiple times with multiple women- he breached the contractual agreements of their marriage- and yet she stays...sigh...

Let's be sure that we are not equating infidelity with abuse or assault. That would be a mistake, and a disservice to the people that have experienced REAL abuse. Yes, infidelity is heartbreaking, and the person that commits it is abusing the other person's trust, love, and commitment.
And certainly there should not be any socially expected "pass" given to men or women who commit it just because they are rich and famous, or beautiful, or MEN (as was often the case in the past). But spouses who hit their wife or husband BECAUSE that person committed infidelity should ALSO not be given ANY "pass." Flip this around for a minute....if it was a WOMAN that committed infidelity, and her HUSBAND responded by taking a golf club to her, would you be so quick to suggest that that was an acceptable reaction? You did originally state that violence of any form, and for any reason, is NEVER acceptable, but the statement about what society deems as an acceptable reaction by a wife seems to contradict the original statement. Perhaps some clarity is in order here, maybe you meant something else...

Mary, you say there's no greater sin than a man who has betrayed his wife, family, etc. The obvious question is, "Why is that, in any way, more morally reprehensible than if a wife does it to her husband and family?"

Marry_Foreign_Women

I have never hit a guy in my life. I made that comment because I can imagine how Elin feels after being humiliated so many times by her beloved husband. This might promote violance and sends a message to cheaters.

As a woman, I am disgusted by the women on this board saying that he deserved to get assaulted by his wife simply because he cheated. Yes, what he did was reprehensible, and I hope he gets what's coming to him, but being assaulted by his wife, no matter how humiliated and degraded she felt, is not it. There's not a woman on this board who would think it no big deal, or a minor "transgression" if a man, finding his wife had cheated on him, started beating on her.
Moreover, how dare this author say "an isolated incident of rage such as Elin Nordegren apparently experienced does NOT constitute domestic violence. One transgression cannot compare to years of systematic degradation, humiliation, emotional manipulation and physical abuse." Aren't we supposed to be teaching women that one time, one "transgression", one "isolated incident of rage" is one too many? If we women want equality, we need to promote equality. Double standards are double standards and the women promoting domestic violence in any form on this board need to wake up.

"However, an isolated incident of rage such as Elin Nordegren apparently experienced does NOT constitute domestic violence. One transgression cannot compare to years of systematic degradation, humiliation, emotional manipulation and physical abuse."

Total BS - If Elin had been the one cheating with a number of men though-out their 5-year marriage, and Tiger had been the one that lost it, and beat the bloody hell out of his wife, no one would say that such a "single isolated incident of rage" doesn't constitute domestic violence. He would be labeled as a wife beater, an abuser, a coward, and would likely lose custody and visitation rights to his children.

This is not to say that what Tiger did was right. Nor is it to say that Elin had no reason to be angry beyond comprehension. But to say that her violent acts towards Tiger are somehow "justified" just because what, she's a women? That's just wrong.

Total BS.

You know she is going to stay and take the money. She doesn't care about how other women view her, just money. She is getting 35 million reasons to look pretty and keep her mouth shut. I would respect her if she left, but come on, that would only make her look stupid.

People look at marriage completely different these days. At one place where I worked on of the girls and her husband were swingers. She would leave at lunch and have a nooner with some guy and it was no big deal. Not so to me, I believe in fidelity, but we are accusing him of doing something that in some eyes is bad, and others not so bad. Here's what really bugs me about the whole thing. The press is who is saying that there was abuse not Tiger. People are choosing to believe a media/tabloids that this is what went down. Think about it awhile. We have no idea what was in their pre-nup, we have no idea what their marriage is about (and we all know that Tiger was not stupid enough to not have a pre-nup.) and lets throw out a little blame to the women who slept with Tiger, HELLO! everyone knows that he's a married man. So why are these girls giving him the time of day. Because he's a celebrity and they have no morals. Let Tiger and his wife work this out and lets leave them alone, just like we would want it to be if we were going through the same ordeal.

She HAS left! AND left AFTER she rightfully and nicely whipped his cheating ass. She SHOULD have left a Calloway Big Bertha hanging out his rear end just to really reinforce her point!

Tiger, enjoy your "on sabbatical career", your ambien and vicodin, your empty house, your plump swollen lips, and your two bit plastic tittied skanks.

You are FREE now, Man! ENJOY traveling all those vaginas.

Well honestly i think that ppl are taking this whole thing 2 far now aweek prior to this inccident you ppl were all for him he's anice guy in yes what he did was wrong but the easiest way out is to leave dont you think? When u run from the problems they're not solved and no longer really exist How many of u have been in a abusive relationship in how many of your lives where on t.v. none in who listened to u in let u tell your side of the story no one how did you feel? So no matter if tiger was wrong or right the media and or the people themselves fans foe's whoever have no say so on what it is that they are doing or going to do in the future im still a fan in will always be but the only way i will talk down is if he doesn't own up in fix his relationship in be more grown ebough to not let the media mess it up love you tiger Jacinta P from Jersey

STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS!!!! NOBODY CARES ANYMORE!!!

i love the fact that she used his OWN clubs to whip his ass. stupid moron. why get married if you KNOW you're going to stray.

She gets one mulligan

Marry_foreign_woman you are dilusional. We aren't for sure if the allegations of domestic violence are true. Even if they are true how is it not believe that this woman had a moment of lapsed judgement and was not mentally stable at this point. It happens all the time. Just because it happens once doesn't mean it'll happen again. I mean how would anyone act know you served a man faithfully for 5 years and had his children and he was whoring around town all this time? I'm sure I'd snap a bit. If you ask me he deserves much more. I think adultry should be punishable by death.

It's hard to find an average guy that doesn't cheat. Just imagin a rich famous guy and all the stupit girls chasing after him.

I used to like him but now he is repulsive. I am sorry but he humiliated his wife over and over. She should divorce him and take as much money as she can.

Whether the violent act toward Tiger was legal/moral is not really the point. My husband was murdered in 2000 because a man thought he was sleeping with a woman he claimed was his girlfriend. It was pure, premeditated murder(he brought a concealed handgun into the bar and told the cocktail waitress of his plans), whether my husband was or was not sleeping with the woman (I was never able to determine the truth). Whatever the rason behind it, it left my then 3 year old daughter without a father. When it went to court, the act was described as "an act of passion" and, because of that, the murderer got to plea voluntary manslaughter and only got 20 years in prison. So...apparently, the courts don't really define crimes committed in the context of cheating, at least here in the Bible belt. I think that movie, "A Time to Kill" was based on a similar premise...that depending on the severity of the reason behind the act, some people think it's justified. Too bad this writer didn't just acknowledget that both of them were in the wrong, but that history shows that America will likely be more sympathetic to Elin.

i think anyone that cheats deserves a good slap in the face...or a club over the head.