When the 67th Masters tees off on Thursday, it will become much
more than Tiger Woods’ quest for three straight titles. It becomes
the prime example of an unequal society, and its attempts to hide
behind the word
”
tradition
”
fall well below par.
When the 67th Masters tees off on Thursday, it will become much more than Tiger Woods’ quest for three straight titles. It becomes the prime example of an unequal society, and its attempts to hide behind the word “tradition” fall well below par.
While a lot of humor has been directed at Martha Burk and William W. “Hootie” Johnson, and Burk advocating for Augusta National Golf Club to admit women members, the real issue behind all this has often times been lost, trivialized as a personal fight between Burk and Johnson, the chairman of the club. But it is no laughing matter.
The real issue being played out at Augusta is sexism. Not that it exists at the golf club, but that it still exists in today’s society.
Burk, the chairperson of the National Council of Women’s Organizations since 2000, is a person to be taken seriously. She heads the NCWO, an umbrella group for more than 150 women’s organizations, including the National Organization for Women.
Burk also, along with her husband, more than a decade ago founded the Center for the Advancement of Public Policy, an organization that focuses on women’s equality issues.
She is by no means an amateur playing in a field filled with professionals who just happened upon the scene.
Burk has all along said that her issue with Augusta has not been about the sport, but about power in a male-dominated world that continues to exclude women.
This is still a society where a woman earns on average 76 cents to every dollar a man earns. In 2003, this is an embarrassment to a society.
So, come Thursday through Sunday, let’s hope Augusta enlightens everyone to more than just golf.
