The golden rule and you: on celebrity gossip

This week I've heard more about Tiger Woods than I ever cared to. Personally, I think it would be a great step toward a better world if every source of celebrity gossip all went under in unison. Maybe we could fill the then-bare supermarket checkout lines with back issues of the tabloids that actually had the decency to be funny, like the Weekly World News, or maybe even some delicious candy. Alas, this will never be the case, but a man can dream.

Anyway, the more I hear about Tiger Woods, the more I feel compelled to tell people straight up at the first mention of his name that I don't give a shit about his private life. Of course, this is usually met with some bullshit excuse like "but think of the sponsors!" and "Tiger Woods is a public figure, and doesn't get the same privacy as the rest of us!" and "Tiger Woods came forward and said it himself!" Well, except the sponsors are being screwed by the tabloids just as hard as Tiger woods is, Tiger Woods is human being and fame does not change that, and he didn't come out to the public about it himself. Like many other things, Tiger Woods was outed by unscrupulous gossip magazines who were motivated to shoehorn themselves into his private affairs by the money they were going to make from the lucrative industry built around people being unable to just mind their own goddamn business.

So how this relates to the title of the post: imagine your neighbor is constantly spying on you. Sitting at their window with binoculars, watching who comes and goes from your house. Following you around. Taking pictures of you. Trying to find out anything they can that could possibly embarass you. Generally, I'd imagine people wouldn't be too happy about this, whether they're doing anything society might frown upon or not. This is exactly what you're supporting when you buy into celebrity gossip rags and all that trash.

I understand people wanting to know everything about the famous people they hear about. Don't get me wrong. People have a natural curiosity about each other. It's the same curiosity that leads me to be concerned when I see an ambulance or fire truck in my neighborhood. That's completely fine. The problem is when indulging that curiosity causes undue suffering to others. In this case, Tiger Woods' private marital problems have come under public scrutiny when, ideally, they'd be a private issue between him and his family.

My point is, before you pass judgement or try to paint Tiger Woods as some sort of amoral figure who stands against everything society holds dear, put yourself in his shoes. And no cop-out excuses like "I wouldn't do what Tiger Woods did." Imagine you did. Then, honestly (this part is important - no "I'd want to be shot in the face for being a dick" because no, you fucking wouldn't) think about how you would prefer to be treated. Then extend that respect to him.