Dec 05

Criticizing Tiger Woods for Dubai fits narrow-minded American stereotypes

To take issue with Tiger Woods choosing Dubai as the location for his first celebrity architect design, you either have to be a long-time resident in fantasyland or a high school teacher stuck in 1950s Buffalo (wait, was that too specific?)

Dubai isn’t some little dust spot on the map. That kind of talk is the same type of attitude that has Americans living at McDonald’s when they’re on an overseas vacation.

People from Buffalo might want to expand their horizons beyond the Anchor Bar (great place by the way, of course you need a traveling spirit to experience it if you aren’t from Buffalo).

Dubai happens to be a burgeoning resort spot with the tallest hotel in the world, skyscrapers galore and an airport in which all the shops are open 24 hours (not just the Pretzel stand). In fact, it might have the coolest airport in the world, full of gadgets and ultra high-end shops.

I haven’t been there (yet), but my older brother spent some time in Dubai in the 90s when he was in the Navy. He still raves about the five-star restaurants and $2000-a-night hotel suites to this day. And this isn’t someone who only knows happy meals.

You can criticize Tiger Woods for a number of things. You can even rip on him for his course design philosophy - though it seems ridiculous to me to do this before anyone’s ever played or seen a Tiger Woods Design (call me crazy). But to belly ache that he chose Dubai over some spot in the U.S. for his first design is ridiculously simple minded.

And yes, the main reason is surely that Woods will be paid a Kevin Garnett $100 million contract easy, before this thing’s done. Heck, the Dubai government throws several million at Tiger - and anything else he wants - just to get him to come over and play in their tournament one week a year.

Here’s a newsflash: That’s one of the reasons you work to become the best golfer in history. To get paid ridiculously obscene amounts of money and end up with the smoking hot blonde. If that offends you, that’s your problem. Not Tiger’s.

« Service far better in America than in Europe's hoity-toity spots

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15 comments

Comment from: Ron Mon [Member]

After Chris Baldwin pimped his own mother out for pocket change, he tackled the task of revealing to children everywhere that the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy just might be parental inventions. Satisfied with his morning's work, he discovered that his heart had shrunk three sizes that day. Let's hope that no high school teacher is stuck in 1950s anywhere. Let's hope that Chris' head and heart get unstuck from that nether place sometime in his lifetime. Let's hope that Tiger's integrity leaves the island nations that he seems to frequent more and more these days.

2006-12-05 @ 08:32

Comment from: Ron Mon [Member]

"I haven't been there (yet), but my older brother spent some time in Dubai in the 90s when he was in the Navy. He still raves about the five-star restaurants and $2000-a-night hotel suites to this day. And this isn't someone who only knows happy meals."

I haven't been to the North Pole yet, but my aunt's cousin's dog tells me that it's cold. The dog still raves about that incident with the frozen fire hydrant. Still limps, too.

2006-12-05 @ 08:37

Comment from: tim [Visitor]

Somebody -- somewhere -- thinks Ron Mon is funny. I mean, there's billions of people on the planet.

Most likely, Ron Mon.

2006-12-05 @ 16:19

Comment from: Mike [Visitor]

Gosh, the Navy must be paying well these days. $2000/night and eating at 5 star restaurants.

2006-12-05 @ 16:22

Comment from: Booger [Visitor]

Ron Mon isn't funny.
Ron Mon is funky.

2006-12-05 @ 19:32

Comment from: Ron Mon [Member]

By the way, Chris, what's great about the Anchor Bar, other than the painted-on billboard on the side? The wings are outdone by a number of other joints in town, and the best thing about the neighborhood is the medical campus. Tossing in the Anchor Bar was your way of name-dropping, Buffalo-style, I guess...a theme that pervades your blogs.
Funky Mon

2006-12-05 @ 22:25

Comment from: tim [Visitor]

I like Ron Mon a lot better when he writes as Funky Mon.

2006-12-06 @ 06:18

Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]

We need more stereotyping, not less. That is, of the correct kind.

Ron Mon isn't funny.
Ron Mon isn't sunny.
Way up north in Buffalo,
He's chilled and a little slow.
That's why writing earns him no money.

2006-12-06 @ 13:23

Comment from: Ron Mon [Member]

How about a fresca, Danny? Your father and I founded Bushwood...and on it goes. Here's my response to Smails' attempt at a limerick, or a rap, or ...what is it?

Roses are red, violets are blue,
Smails has no rhyme scheme
pitty that foo'.

or, how about...

I think that I shall never see,
a comment smaller than a flea,
writ by the mind of marching snails,
who think with more pace than Judge Smails.

Well, I'll keep at it.

2006-12-06 @ 22:09

Comment from: Booger [Visitor]

I prefer the 5-7-5 haiku:

Ron Mon the blogger
Obsessed with Steven Bowditch
Get a life, my son.

2006-12-07 @ 13:22

Comment from: Ron Mon [Member]

As a parting shot, here's my quote from Shakespeare (or Mellencamp, one of the two):
If you don't stand for something, you're gonna fall for anything.

Tiger should stand for something here.

Go Bowditch!

2006-12-08 @ 05:57

Comment from: scascx [Visitor]

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2006-12-09 @ 05:56

Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]

Ron Mon,

Chesterton said something in that vein far better. To wit: "When you cease to believe in God, it's not that you start to believe in nothing. It's that you'll believe in anything."

2006-12-09 @ 21:34

Comment from: Dubai Resident [Visitor]

You couldn't have said it any better, Mr. Baldwin. As an American living in Dubai, I can attest to the grandeur of this city. And no, for those of us back home who complain about petrodollars as we pump our oversized SUVs with imported gas, this city wasn't built on oil, nor rock n' roll for that matter. It was built on shrewd business planning. The risk taking kind, the adventurous ideas usually relegated back in the states to potheads. If it's a good idea, it gets built here. Roughly six percent of the money here is oil revenue. The rest? Tourism and business from just about every single country except for us Americans, who seem to want to refuse to believe Arabs are capable of anything but destruction. I'm not going to turn this into a rant about xenophobia, but I suggest critics and supporters of Dubai alike come check it out before judging. I did it for myself when I was 22 years old as an independent study abroad venture after my school condemned my idea. This place is fabulous, and Emirates flies direct three times daily from New York City. That airline, by the way, was started in 1985 with two planes and was profitable the second year of operations, and has remained so ever since while upgrading itself as a world class carrier ranked among the best in the world. 1,100 choices of entertainment on board. I'll choose that over unimaginative American carriers anyday. Maybe we can take a lesson from Dubai and create a vision for an updated America, just like the good old days. It just takes our leadership to stop giving away our money to random countries. Until then, as a young American adult, I'll go where the money is, learn a few things, and bring it home with new perspective. Perhaps Tiger Woods will use Dubai as a testing ground, and create an experience at home when someone sees how profitable his new course will be.

2006-12-15 @ 10:26

Comment from: BV [Visitor]

Ron Mon and Wolfram also weighed in on this subject. Both were as predictable in their rants as Baldwin is here. Dubai IS a pretty nice place, and they certainly have the existing relationship with Tiger, so why is it surprising that his first venture is there? Personally, I'm looking forward to playing the course.

2006-12-21 @ 13:33

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