Tiger Woods avoids playing into trap of racial stereotypes

Friday, May 9, 1997 | by

Mark Hardie

What race is Tiger Woods? Is he African-American? Is he Asian-American?"

Ever since Eldrick "Tiger" Woods' remarkable victory at the Masters golf tournament, people have been desperately searching for a racial label to impose on him.

The fact that Tiger happens to be an incredible athlete is not enough.

Nor is the fact that he is a well-spoken, gifted person enough. In American society, it seems necessary to place people into pre-determined racial categories.

The very idea that someone can be a member of two or more ethnic groups is unacceptable to some.

"Are you black or white?" "Are you this or that?" "You can't be both."

People of mixed ethnic parentage are forced to make a permanent choice.

Thus, a person who is both black and white may be forced by social pressure to choose the black identity and neglect the white one or vice-versa.

This vicious and unnecessary cycle often prevents the individual from simply enjoying the best of both identities.

As an African-American who chose to become Jewish, I am sometimes confronted by people who do not believe that one can be both "black" and "Jewish."

They have been taught to accept the stereotype that all Jewish people have light skin and dark curly hair.

Similarly, they believe the generalization that all blacks are Christian.

Thus, it is difficult for them to accept someone who disproves their preconceived notions.

Tiger Woods' popularity has increased not only because many consider him to be a black American, but also because many consider him to be Asian-American. Moreover, he has steadfastly refused to deny any aspect of his rich heritage, and eloquently pays tribute to all those cultures.

Tiger transcends racial categories and presents himself as a universal human being, a mensch. Indeed, by refusing to choose a single race he challenges society's myopic obsession with skin tone, complexion and facial features.

I can recall being deeply affected by the racial divide at an early age. As one of a few blacks in an all-white, upper-middle-class elementary school, I was well accepted by my peers. Then I fell in love with Jennifer, a blond girl with sky-blue eyes.

Because of our innocent third-grade relationship we were subjected to name-calling and racial epithets. Only when Jennifer died later that year of a brain hemorrhage did the other kids realize how much pain they had caused.

I learned that it is wrong to categorize people by race because it can only lead to racial division. Thus, racialism breeds racism.

When I'm asked what race Tiger Woods is, I respond, "The human race." He is neither black nor white nor brown. He is a human being who utilizes his talent to do incredible things.

It is foolhardy to reduce a complex human being to something as simplistic as skin color. Every child knows that one should not judge a book by its cover. Racial categories inevitably evaluate people based upon outward appearances. Racialism judges the book by its cover. And this is the fundamental injustice.