There are some things that enlightened people nowadays pretty much agree are beyond dispute. A good example would be the view that it is wrong to discriminate against women. And then there are things that enlightened people find themselves arguing about quite heatedly. An example of this would be the issue that has consumed the golfing world lately to the point of pushing tournament results right out of the headlines: Should Georgia's Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, add women members under pressure from the U.S. National Council of Women's Organizations?
Precisely because thoughtful people have found themselves in disagreement on the matter, the Augusta controversy is not synonymous with a debate about discrimination against women. Nobody on either side has argued in favor of discrimination. The clash between NCWO Chairwoman Martha Burk and Augusta Chairman William "Hootie" Johnson is rather about whether Augusta's men-only policy qualifies as discrimination or not. That, and about how, when, why and under whose auspices change should come to certain bastions of "tradition." The one thing it's not is a clear-cut case of right and wrong. And that is why the editorial published by the New York Times last Monday calling on Tiger Woods to boycott next year's Masters tournament in support of Ms. Burk's campaign is so misguided.
For the record, Mr. Woods has made it clear that he personally favors membership for women at Augusta. "It would be nice to see everyone have an equal chance to participate," he said after the British Open in July. Competing in Miyazaki this past week, he said it again: "Do I want to see a female member? Yes."