Golfer Tiger Woods is proving himself one of the nation's leading purveyors of clear-headedness about race, not that this is winning him many friends. Woods's mother is Thai, and his father is black -- but also part-Caucasian and part-American Indian, which leads Woods to describe himself as "Cablinasian," a rebuke of sorts to those who would assign him a part that he doesn't wish to play. Gen. Colin Powell, for one, ridiculed Woods and this "very strange word" last year on Meet the Press.
But Woods seems immune to criticism. Three years ago, when still in college, he was asked at the Masters whether he felt an "obligation" to serve as a role model to minority youths. And he answered, breathtakingly, "No. I feel I have an obligation to serve as a role model to everyone, regardless of color."
And he did it again, last week, on Larry King Live. King asked, "Do you feel that you're an influence on young blacks?" And Woods answered, calmly, firmly, "Young children." King, a little annoyed, shot back, "Just young children? Don't you think you've attracted a lot more blacks to the game?" And Woods replied, "Yeah, I think I've attracted minorities to the game, but you know what? Why limit it to just that? I think you should be able to influence people in general, not just one race or social-economic background. Everybody should be in the fold."
Few things these days are as shocking as a bracing dose of what used to be called liberalism.