Why is a DUI arrest so interesting?

[MineralMan]

I'm not seeing how it compares with other news of the day, really.

[NightWatcher]

1. Shiny object, look over here!

No, a madman isn't destroying America and our reputation throughout the rest of the world. We've a washed up athlete doing washed up athlete things.

[MineralMan]

4. Yeah, I know it was a celebrity thing. Still, the man was apparently not

drunk. Could have been a dosing mistake or something. It's bad to drive while impaired, for sure.

It's just that there were thousands of people arrested for DUI this past weekend, I'm sure. Only one is making the news on DU and elsewhere, though.

It just seems odd is all.

[Warpy]

39. It's news because he's a former role model

whose feet of clay keep getting discovered. It was a mistake to put him (or anyone else, really) on that high a pedestal. The fall is spectacular and that is why it's news.

I just find it sad that he's pissed away his reputation and his career.

[Else You Are Mad]

2. Americans LOVE when celebrities are arrested. Nt.

[cwydro]

3. People trying to make it into a human rights issue.

[MineralMan]

5. Really? I guess that doesn't make any sense either.

Not to me, anyhow.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. ................

[Mike Nelson]

7. I think the public...

...likes to see celebrities have DUIs - like "commoners" do. ...but the celebrity usually has a terrific lawyer and can afford to take the fine, rather than do the time.

[FSogol]

8. Americans love stories of how the mighty have fallen. Woods will have a decent attorney

and the case will be settled with a stiff fine in one day.

[MineralMan]

9. I suppose so.

I don't follow golf, so Tiger Woods' stardom never had much of an impact on me. About the only time I think about golf is when some tournament delays the 5 PM news here in St. Paul, which it does with great frequency.

The guy was, apparently, one of the best players ever. Not so much anymore. Feet of clay, too, like most people. Oh, well.

You're right. He'll show up, get a fine, pay it and go on his way. I don't care much, really. It annoys me when people drive while impaired. That gets a lot of people injured and killed. I think people shouldn't do that. However, the fact that a celebrity does it is no more onerous to me than anyone else doing it.

[mreilly]

10. I dunno but I'm already sick of hearing about it.

... isn't there a way to filter out stuff by subject line content? If not I'd love to see one.

[JHan]

11. The reaction to it is interesting, for me at least..

.. it's another example of the way some engage in schadenfreude because of who Tiger is and their personal beefs with him over what is supposedly a very mundane occurrence - after all DUIs happen every day.

[MineralMan]

12. For some, I suppose it's still an issue to have had a black

man as a golf champion. Was Jack Nicklaus ever stopped for DUI? I don't know. How about all those others? Surely, some of them tossed back one or two too many of an afternoon and got stopped after driving erratically. But we've never heard about those stops.

But, Tiger Woods? Well, now...

I don't know. As I said, I don't follow golf, so I have never paid a lot of attention. I knew of his success, of course. He's not playing so well anymore, but then, who of us is, really?

A DUI arrest is a local news story. There's one every day in every news market, at least. It's not really of national interest, I'd think.

[JHan]

13. yep I thought the same, but you know.. mention that fact and you get accused of..

"making it about race". It was a victimless "crime" yet the vitriol has been astonishing to me.

In my view, police officers can always use a bit of judgment in situations where there is no clear victim - how about the option to escort the person home? But suggesting this is seen as "making excuses for" the person arrested.

[MineralMan]

14. Well, sometimes it IS about race.

This particular DUI arrest had no victims. There was no accident. Nobody's car got dented. The driver may have screwed up on his medications and got woozy. It happens.

But, no harm came about because of it. No question, he shouldn't have been driving. He'll have to pay a fine, perhaps, like happens thousands of times every week. But, that's it, really.

It's just not newsworthy, except for the fact that it's Tiger Woods. Nothing else is unusual about this. It's not someone's father-in-law who forgot he took an oxycodone and took a second dose by mistake and then got in his car. It's Tiger Woods, for Jebus' sake!

[JHan]

15. right now on my FB feed I'm seeing gleeful posts about his mugshot..

Hell I don't even like the guy and I think it's disgusting.

lol and I got flamed in my thread for taking another view on the whole thing. Ah well.

[MineralMan]

17. Yup. Mugshots are rarely flattering, it seems.

I probably wouldn't like one of me, either. Hell, I don't like my DL photo.

I did notice that some people were posting that mug shot who I had noticed posting unflattering images of other people of color from time to time. It sort of made me wonder a little.

Put Woods in his Green Masters blazer and a pair of nice slacks and most people think he's pretty presentable. It's funny how that works, I think.

[MichMary]

37. DUI is not a victimless crime

Thousands of people have been killed by impaired drivers. It is far better to get an impaired driver off the road before he kills or harms someone.

As for the comparison with Jack Nicklaus or anyone else from a decade or more ago, things are different now. We are much, much more aware of the true danger of an impaired driver.

I feel bad for Tiger. Probably one of the all-time great athletes; but his body was ruined by his sport (I think I heard FOUR back surgeries!!) and the medications he had to take to cope with the pain.

[JHan]

42. In this case, however...

There was no victim, except perhaps Tiger himself. If actions result in a person being killed, their car indented, them swerving off the road due to the irresponsible driving of others, then yes, harm was caused. That isn't this case here.

I'll put it this way as well - People can be arrested if a police officer decides he or she will follow the letter of the law in that circumstance, resulting in a blemished record. This happens a lot in poorer communities, partly due to "broken windows" policing. No victim involved but they get a stain on their record, meaning getting a job becomes more difficult. Tiger is not the same of course, he's a celebrity and enjoys a certain measure of privilege ( although some love to target celebrities) but I'm taking the individual out of situation here and looking at it on the bare facts alone.

As for drunk driving laws, I am 100% in favor of them and you are right, they are important, but it's possible that in situations they are too broadly applied, and enforcement too harsh compared with the risk to others or level of inebriation.

[MichMary]

47. Had he been weaving, or otherwise driving erratically?

I haven't see what led up to the cops stopping him.

[JHan]

48. he was stationary when they found him.

[MichMary]

49. I can see why they stopped, though

Could have been a heart attack or a stroke or other medical emergency. Does sound like an arrest was a bit over-the-top.

[JHan]

50. Yep that's my point

I think you just expressed it more succinctly that I did.

[OceanChick]

54. I don't feel sorry for him

He's a sexual predator just like the asshole in the White House. He has plenty of money to get treatment for his various addictions. Fuck Tiger Woods.

[AtheistCrusader]

44. Michael Phelps, Mike Ditka, Paris Hilton, Christian Slater, Tim Allen, Ty Pennington

Sometimes a cigar is just a celebrity that is caught/arrested for DUI.

All of the people in the subject line, and Tiger, are national celebrities. Not local. That's the difference. If it was the mayor of Bumshart Nebrahoma, nobody would care and it wouldn't be national news.

[pnwest]

16. Because in this day and age of ubers,

taxis and designated drivers - it's such a stupid thing to get arrested for. Especially when the arrested can afford an uber, taxi or designated driver. So easily avoided. Take an uber home, and back to pick up the car next day. It's so interesting because it's a wonderment of stupidity.

That said, reports are now saying he wasn't drunk, it was pain meds. Equally stupid.

[MineralMan]

18. How many DUI arrests were made this weekend where you live?

Why aren't they national news. We had several here in the Twin Cities. It was in the paper. There are always a bunch of them on three-day holiday weekends. I'll bet that people in Phoenix didn't hear about the arrests here in St. Paul and Minneapolis, though. And we didn't hear about all the arrests in Phoenix, either.

However, we sure heard about Tiger Woods, huh?

[ProfessorGAC]

19. Once The Cops Said. . .

. . .he blew 0.0 on the breathalyzer, i considered it a non-story. People having a bad reaction to medicine is not something they anticipate or can control. Happens all the time.

They didn't pull him over. He pulled himself over and nodded off. Non-story, other than he's rich, famous, and non-white.

[MichMary]

38. I think that one of the drugs was Ambien

Who doesn't know that you shouldn't drive after taking a sleep-inducing medication?

[ProfessorGAC]

43. If He's New To It

Not everyone reads the fine print. I do except on those things where the options don't exist. (Betaseron for MS.) I know in general what side-effects are.

And ambien isn't exactly seconol. My wife takes it and it doesn't just zone her out. It's pretty mild on her.

Now, she isn't prone to go out for a drive at 3am, but i can envision this scenario.

Guy takes something new because he can't sleep. Starts driving and feels really strange. Knows he shouldn't be driving.

Pulls over and zones out. Nods off hard, and cops show up.

No, he shouldn't have been behind the wheel, but i'm not looking for his scalp either. This isn't blowing 0.18 and driving home angry, going the wrong way on I-55 and killing three people. (Actual story by a guy who was drinking at a bar where my band was hosting a jam night 10 or 12 years ago.)

Deciding one shouldn't be driving and pulling over (assuming my hypothetical is true) is quite different than the event than getting pissed about not being further served and then driving 80mph the wrong way on an interstate. in my mind.

[MichMary]

45. I've taken it, too

And it has a far greater effect on me. The first time I took it I decided that I would watch TV for awhile, but woke up in the middle of the night, lights on, TV blaring. The effect was pretty much immediate. The stuff is kind of scary.

[cwydro]

27. Famous people always make the news when arrested.

Black or white.

[MineralMan]

29. Yes, I know. Should they, though?

I'm not so sure about that, really.

[dembotoz]

20. as i get older and as i need to take more medications this becomes a concern for me

i still have not made it to the big leagues with any of my meds, but i do know folks who had interesting reactions to stuff

interesting court case....pulled over while sober....

[WoonTars]

21. Do you seriously not know who Tiger Woods is?

....

[MineralMan]

22. Of course I do.

Why does that matter? My point is exactly the same, regardless of who he is.

[WoonTars]

23. Then you should understand why this DUI arrest is such a big deal.

You getting a DUI doesn't make the news, a well known sports star, especially with the back story like Tiger, most definitely does.

[MineralMan]

24. You know, why don't you explain that to me, then?

Why do we all need to know that Tiger Woods was arrested for a DUI that was apparently caused by his medications? Is it important that we know that for some reason? Do you find that to be compelling news for some reason?

I'll wait here for your explanation.

[WoonTars]

28. You have never seen coverage of an event like this before then?

OJ's Bronco chase? Mel Gibson's 'sugar tits' arrest? None of those ring a bell?

They're called 'public interest' stories for a very simple reason, they interest the public.

I'm failing to see where your confusion comes from?

[MineralMan]

31. You know, sometimes there's a point in a thread

that some people sort of miss. See if you can figure out what that point is in this thread. I'm out...

[WoonTars]

34. Pretty sure that point was the OP...

It's news, because it's Tiger Frickin' Woods...

[superpatriotman]

25. It's not

end of thread

[MineralMan]

26. Exactly.

Thanks.

[berni_mccoy]

53. It's not the DUI. It's who is being charged with it.

Many, many people take schadenfreude in celebrity failure, whatever it may be...

[Proud Liberal Dem]

30. Celebrity news

Though I thought that Tiger Woods was mostly a "has-been" for the last few years or so.

[unblock]

32. the celebrity news business leans heavily on the "has-beens"

[brooklynite]

33. ...says a person spending time on a political blog, as opposed to 99% of the population.

[WoonTars]

35. Well there is that...

[treestar]

36. Seems to be interesting in being a rare case

of not drinking but on medication.

I've been prescribed medication before that said be careful driving.

Even over the counter medication might say that.

Gives you a new perspective on that matter.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

40. I think sometimes people like to see celebrities taken down a notch.

Seeing some rich, famous person's sorry-looking mug shot lets people think, "See, he's no better than the rest of us."

[MineralMan]

41. How strange, it seems to me, somehow.

Oh, well.

[WellDarn]

46. I know, I know, call on me! n/t

[Lint Head]

51. He was on the side of the road. He obviously did the right thing.

When I get sleepy I pull over to. I realize you should not take drugs recreational and drive. But they're are those who do take painkillers because they have to due to arthritis or accident. They still have to drive to work or to the MD. Everyone on a daily dose if pain meds cannot afford a taxi or have the convenience of a bus route or are able to walk very far.

[Brainstormy]

52. for some, schadenfreude.

for others, it's not interesting at all.