Things People Say …

I was driving myself to work this morning and as I usually do I was listening to the local news and information station on my vehicle radio.

This radio station is part of the ABC news network, with frequent national news updates. This morning’s version included the latest from the tragedy in West Virginia.  The closest I can come to understanding that situation is what I know second hand from last summer’s landslide in a Logan, Utah neighborhood.

Two firefighters from our department were able to join with the others from around Cache County on the day the victims were discovered.  Even though it was not a personal experience, I was able to grasp a bit of the feelings and emotions involved.  What a sad thing.

The next story on this morning’s ABC news offering was about The Masters Golf Tournament.  This is Tiger Wood’s first tournament since his personal difficulties were made known. The part of the story that made me pause was a comment of an unidentified man who said something to the effect of, “Tiger Woods still has a lot of explaining to do”.

Okay, wait a minute …. This person was not introduced as a family member of Tiger, an in-law of Tiger, a fellow golfer, not even a friend of Tiger. I may be wrong, but this un-identified person likely has no more association with Tiger than they are both interested in golf.

With that in mind, just what, I inquire, does Tiger Woods need to explain to that man - or anyone else for that matter – who does not fall into one of the categories I mentioned above?

Are there really people in this country so dependant on the happenings of famous people that they feel personally harmed when one of them has fallen? Sadly I believe the answer is yes, but I was still shocked at this person’s statement.

Does Tiger Woods owe me any kind of an explanation about what caused his troubles to occur? NO!!! And I hope I never get to the point that I am so enthralled by a person I have never personally met and have no ties to, that I respond similarly to their failings.

I don’t even want to get started on the bantering between Sarah Palin and President Obama over the nuclear proliferation treaty ….