Yes, Tiger Woods’ Genesis Invitational tampon joke was bad

I did not plan on writing about Tiger Woods’ silly, sexist, juvenile prank together with his pal Justin Thomas on the Genesis Invitational final week. In any case, Many individuals I’ve already written about it more eloquently than I will. For those who missed the second, Woods handed Thomas a tampon in the course of the first spherical of the event, presumably as a touch upon Thomas’s sport, presumably as a touch upon his character. Right here is the video:

For me, the most effective half is that Thomas throws the tampon on the ground in disgust, as if Tiger simply gave him a large louse, as a substitute of, you realize, placing it in his bag for when some girl in his life lastly wants it. However that’s neither right here nor there.

For all of the “ladies are superheroes!” and “ladies can do something!” promoting campaigns that seem across the time of the Olympics or any time the USWNT performs, there are numerous males who do not perceive what the issue is. I do know this as a result of a good portion of them ended up in myfield this weekend, because of this tweet:

I actually tweeted it out and went on about my day. In any case, ladies are used to seeing this silly joke time and again, usually by males with photos of their daughters on their social media profiles and #girldad of their bios. However let’s be clear, the joke is at all times “ladies are weaker and worse at sports activities and also you want a tampon since you are as weak as a girl”. That is all. That is the joke. There isn’t any different joke. Not when males joke {that a} pitcher has his interval, not when males joke {that a} quarterback wants some Vagisil, not when males change crew names to “ViQueens” or “CowGirls.” Ladies, and our perceived energy, are at all times, at all times the butt of the joke Ironic, contemplating I’ve but to see a person who can get previous the “reasonable” stage of cramping. in the PMS simulator.

However I digress.

Males have been so moved by my tweet that they despatched me tearful messages all week about how I had “actually made them suppose” about how they use language that places ladies down and the way sorry they’re. and the way cautious they are going to be shifting ahead.

Simply kidding, they really despatched me numerous messages like this:

“Just a little too delicate and I woke as much as the Tiger Woods joke I see…should be round that point of month…”

And that:

“You’re a bitch”

And that:

“I am going to watch Tiger run JT via tampons one million occasions earlier than I learn what it’s a must to say about sports activities. 🤡”

And Tiger’s apology wasn’t significantly better, to be trustworthy:

“It was all speculated to be enjoyable and video games and clearly it hasn’t turned out that approach. If I offended somebody, it wasn’t the case, it was simply associates having enjoyable. Like I mentioned, if I offended somebody in any approach, form, or kind, sorry. It wasn’t meant to be that approach. It was simply that we have been joking with one another on a regular basis and, virally, I feel this was misunderstood, however between us it was…is totally different.

Okay, to begin with, you offended folks, you offended an enormous variety of ladies. I do not suppose that is even up for debate. And I am certain that is totally different. I am certain the jokes males make are at all times totally different when ladies aren’t round to denounce their sexist nonsense. For those who hit it like a woman, this is a tampon. You might be so excited at this time, do you have got your interval? Actually, if the joke is one thing totally different, please clarify it to me.

Nonetheless, what actually stood out to me concerning the variety of males writing to me (yelling at me?) was what number of informed me I used to be flawed as a result of their daughter/spouse/girlfriend/sister additionally thought Tiger’s “joke” was flawed. humorous. And to be trustworthy, I do not know any of those ladies. Possibly they discovered a grown man handing a tampon to a different grown man as an indication of disrespect downright hilarious. Possibly they’ve so internalized the sexism that girls swim in every single day that she really discovered it humorous. Or (extra seemingly) perhaps the man is not telling me the reality.

However this is the factor: Ladies discovered way back to choose their battles in the case of calling out sexism and misogyny. Some ladies have a lot to cope with at work or at house that, yeah, perhaps bashing one of the well-known athletes on the planet for making a sexist joke wasn’t excessive on her listing of priorities. that day. And if there was a person in my life who received so upset {that a} full stranger mildly criticized Tiger Woods (who would not want Chad from Oswego to defend him), that he instantly sits down and writes a virulent, insult-filled message to the creator — Yeah, I may snigger too. Keep away from controversy. Avoiding mansplaining and gaslighting “is just not sexist.” It is price it?

Tiger Woods’ pathetic try at humor is vital as a result of it not solely demonstrates however it reinforces the concept that ladies are inferior to males. In sports activities. At work. In a bar struggle (or no matter measuring stick males use to find out their masculinity). And girls being seen as inferior is how we find yourself with ladies. underfunded professional sports leagues and little commercialized. That is how we find yourself with ladies being informed to they can’t show their bare arms on the ground of the Missouri State Home. That is how we discover ourselves in a spot the place ladies have he lost control over his bodily autonomy in quite a lot of states. That is how we find yourself fearing males are comes for our birth control next. It is why we had the #MeToo motion and why so many males really feel comfy policing, harassing, and intimidating ladies. We do not matter. We’re much less. The inferiority of ladies to males is on the root of all the pieces, whether or not it is a joke between associates or a complete political platform based mostly on it.

And males who’ve “raised robust daughters” or are “#girldads” are on board to denounce sexism in all its kinds, large and small, jokingly or significantly, between the well-known and the not-so-famous, by males who admire and males they despise, or not.