I overheard two women talking on Friday about Elin Nordegren using a bulldozer to tear down the Florida mansion she and Tiger Woods lived in before the cheating and the divorce. The comments were positively gleeful, picturing her driving a huge yellow machine of destruction through the multi-million dollar home to punish her cheating spouse. You go Elin! Then one of the women added how happy she was when Elin had attacked Tiger with a golf club too, and the other agreed. When I raised a question, they were "just kidding", of course.
I had not read anything about the mansion destruction at that point, but as I usual, I started asking myself questions. Does she own the place? Fine, tear it down, burn it, do whatever she legally wants to. But if it's jointly owned with her ex? No way.
And about the golf club assault...which as far as I know was never verified...if the situation had been reversed, and it had been Elin cheating on him, would it have been a cause for celebration if Tiger had taken a club to her? Of course not.
I'm not advocating or excusing cheating, just suggesting equal treatment.
The subject of spousal abuse was fresh on my mind because of an interview I did over the holidays with the Executive Director of the One Place Family Justice Center in Montgomery. He told me about the percentage of men who are abused physically and verbally by their wives, and how difficult it is for them to report it. With some folks cheering the beating of a male spouse, cheater or not, I can understand why.
When I finally did read the mansion story, it was much less dramatic. There was no vengeful hard-hat wearing Elin, her fist raised in victory as she drove a bulldozer through the home. Instead, she's tearing down the 1932 house that had termite damage to build a new one. And it was a demolition company doing the destruction, contributing whatever could be salvaged to Habitat For Humanity.
And about the golf club assault...which as far as I know was never verified...if the situation had been reversed, and it had been Elin cheating on him, would it have been a cause for celebration if Tiger had taken a club to her? Of course not.
I'm not advocating or excusing cheating, just suggesting equal treatment.
The subject of spousal abuse was fresh on my mind because of an interview I did over the holidays with the Executive Director of the One Place Family Justice Center in Montgomery. He told me about the percentage of men who are abused physically and verbally by their wives, and how difficult it is for them to report it. With some folks cheering the beating of a male spouse, cheater or not, I can understand why.
When I finally did read the mansion story, it was much less dramatic. There was no vengeful hard-hat wearing Elin, her fist raised in victory as she drove a bulldozer through the home. Instead, she's tearing down the 1932 house that had termite damage to build a new one. And it was a demolition company doing the destruction, contributing whatever could be salvaged to Habitat For Humanity.
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