By Lindsay MacLeod
Tiger Woods and Shaming Punishments:
On Friday, November 27, golfer Tiger Woods was injured when he lost
control of his SUV outside his Florida home. Early reports stated
that his wife heard the crash from inside the house, ran outside, and
used a golf club to smash out the back window to help get him out.
Tiger was taken to the hospital and was treated for facial
lacerations.
Since the accident, Tiger has refused to meet with police to tell them
what happened. However, rumors have been circulating that the accident
was due to a fight with his wife about an affair. A young cocktail
waitress claims that that she began having an affair with Woods in
April 2007 and has since had 20 sexual encounters with him. The girl
claims to have numerous texts and pictures with the famous golfer. She
also has a voicemail that says: “Hey, it’s Tiger. I need you to do me
a huge favor. Can you please take your name off your phone? My wife
went through my phone and may be calling you. So if you can, please
take your name off that. … Just have it as a number on the voice
mail. Just have it as your telephone number. That’s it, OK? You got to
do this for me. Huge. Quickly. Bye.”
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/02/tiger.woods/index.html
Today, Woods issued an apology for his “transgressions” that let his
family down: “I have let my family down and I regret those
transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values
and the behavior my family deserves.” Woods did not admit to an affair
and was vague about the “transgressions” he was referring to: “I am
not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my
behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family.
Those feelings should be shared by us alone.”
This formal apology got me thinking about shaming punishments. While
Woods did not come out and admit his actions, at least he made some
sort of formal statement apologizing to his family. But, should the
public shame Tiger? When is it appropriate to shame or humiliate
someone who commits a crime?
Shaming and shunning were popular punishments in 17th century colonial
America. A well-known example of shaming punishments is in Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter.” Hester Prynne was required to wear
the letter “A” sewn to her dress alerting those around her that she
was guilty of adultery.
These shaming punishments went out of style after colonial days, and
were replaced by other punishments like imprisonment. However, every
now and again, we see shaming emerge. For example, in 2001, Shawn
Gementera was arrested and plead guilty to stealing letters from
multiple mailboxes. In 2003, the judge sentenced Walker to two months
in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The
conditions for his release, among other things, required Gementera to
wear a two-sided sign for one eight-hour day reading: “I STOLE MAIL.”
Should we bring these punishments back? Maybe shaming is the only way
to show the community’s disdain of the crime. And maybe, instead of
getting a fine for reckless driving and points on his license, Woods
should wear a sign saying, “I cheated on my wife.” Or if the law can’t
require such a punishment, maybe his wife should.
