Newsweek: Black Women Not Gender's Only Psychos. Gee Thanks.
[tweetmeme source="Wuzhatnin_com" alias="http://bit.ly/9c7qXn"]Newsweek contributor Allison Samuels has a message for Tiger Woods’ wife, ‘Thanks for showing us that white women are psychos too.’ In her article entitled “Hell Hath No Fury Like a Swedish Ex-Model” she describes her relief that Elin Nordegren Woods took a golf club to Tiger’s car while trying to give him a five-iron lobotomy. Her relief at Elin’s having proven that black women do not have a monopoly on psychotic behavior, depicted by what she describes as “images of black females with their hands on their hips, eyes rolling and tongues lashing out at their partners” (let’s not forget the head shaking), Ms. Samuels gives us a classic example of misery loves company.
I think the thing Ms. Samuels forgets is that the saying she has taken such liberty with actually reads, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” She misses that the wording of this time-tested theorem lacks any racial context thereby making her entire argument redundant. You can simply look at the results of any divorce proceeding to see examples of women of all races who use lawyers and the courts to exact vengeance on ex-partners. It can be argued that physical attacks are not the only form of violence scorned females subject men to. Just look at the financial raping endured by the likes of Paul McCartney, Donald Trump, a who’s who list of NBA stars, and anyone else who took the risk of marrying without a prenup.
Speaking of which, what is the verdict on Tiger’s dissolution status? He and Elin purportedly DID have a prenup. Depending on the details, I think young Mrs. Woods may be just getting started. That five-iron is probably the least of his worries at this point. It has been reported that Tiger has offered her $5 million already and is trying to renegotiate the contract. I hope financial rape was one of the kinky fantasies Tiger entertained. This is one fantasy he is likely to experience…vividly.
Okay. So I read her article, and I am giving her her a pass. She seems to be more concerned with the reasons why black men say that they choose races other than their own for mates. Her point has validity, I have heard this particular generalization from some of my friends. It is a short-sighted point of view, as you have pointed out. Plus, the bottom line is that you need to choose a partner who you can share your life with, regardless of ethnicity. And if you still need to stray, then you were not ready for the commitment.
As far as Tiger is concerned, this was a major blunder to say the least. It would not have been an issue if he had never gotten married. But once you do, the rules change, especially for celebrities. All the good that he has done is about to suffer untold damages because of this. He will recover but it will cost him much mmonetary pain(to Elin).
I agree with the last half of your comment. I think Tiger is in for a world of hurt due to his actions. I think it is a stretch for anyone to practically rejoice at his family’s pain because it constitutes some kind of backwards vindication of black women after years of negativity directed toward them. Is Elin responsible for past negativity toward black women by others? Is she owed some pain and payback in order to satisfy karma?
I always try to keep my apples and oranges separated. She acted out of an emotion that was human, though not particular to any race. Making a connection between the two is…problematic.
For example, now that this has happened, does it mean that the hypothetical men spoken of in Samuels’ aforementioned article are less likely to experience these things when they date black women? If these men find that they are less likely to experience the same traits from white women, does Elin’s certification as a 5-iron ninja have any bearing on that? Probably not. So what we are looking at is a momentary catharsis which provides the illusion of vindication, which will be undone the next time a black female goes all Lisa Lopez on her boyfriend.
Don’t believe me? Remember Lorena Bobbitt? She did far worse than Elin Woods. When was the last time you thought of her? Why do we need Elin Woods to prove that black women are not the only psychos when we have Lorena Bobbitt and Eileen Warnos—two of the most notorious women of all times next to Lizzy Borden (who was also not black). None of these women have stopped black men from complaining of the head-bobbing, finger-waving, you’ve-got-two-hands-do-it-yourself stereotypes yet. What makes you think this will be any different? Will we be talking about Elin Woods a year from now? I think Lindsey Lohan will be bigger news, and she’s not black either. Neither are the Octomom or Britney Spears, so why does Elin vindicate black women if none of these other women did?
I want to make it clear that I am in no way in defense of Ms. Samuels exploitation of Elin’s alleged actions. That portion of her article has the smell of journalistic gimmicktry to me. If it is not, and she actually believes her stated position, then the argument is absurd. I believe that this was just a hook cast by Ms Samuels to haul in more readers.
However, the remaining body of the article has some depth of content. The issue of black men and white women has always been emotionally charged. Frankly, too much energy has been spent on the subject. Nothing is going to change the views of black men about black women and those behavior patterns that we are discussing. The issue is not a racial issue. Those same men would not enter into a relationship with any woman who exhibited those behaviors, regardless of what package it comes in.
We are going to be dealing with this for a long time. You have made no untrue observations about the article and my reply. Ms. Samuels has crudely opened a societal sore that gets no treatment. But did you have to bring up Lorena Bobbitt? Yes, I still cringe at the mention of her name. Thanx.