Knowledge Acquisition through Authoritative vs. Communal

Having knowledge is commonly associated with being "correct". However, some people are more knowledgeable or "correct" than others. This is where tension arises in the realm of knowledge acquisition. Before the internet authoritative knowledge was the only source and therefore the best. The movement known as web 2.0 changed that as people had new mediums with which to communicate. As a result this left people in search of knowledge with a choice.

In my own experiences, I have certainly witnessed tensions between authoritative and communal knowledge. None of my teachers in high school approved of the use of Wikipedia at all, not even as an encyclopedia with which to begin research. They presented Wikipedia in a poor light that made me suspicious of the site as well. However, it was difficult to not use Wikipedia given its convenience. The information on communal sites such as Wikipedia is constantly being renewed and improved, something that is difficult for an authoritative source to do because it would imply that they were wrong in the first place. Furthermore, the way Wikipedia is set up, promotes learning even more as you end up going in tangents you might not have thanks to hyperlinks within the text. It is difficult to claim one source as more useful than the other, because each has its merits, but in terms of convenience, communal sources and Wikipedia specifically win hands down.

Tiger's Apology

Given the situation in which Tiger Woods found himself, an apology would have had a positive effect. A sincere  apology made to both his wife/family and fans/business partners would certainly give him the foundation to begin the recovery process. Tiger did end up making a public apology. His goals in this apology were to not only show sincerity to his family, but also explain to his fans what was going on. Despite the potential good that could be done by the apology, what Woods did wasn't entirely successful. In his apology he not only flattered himself, but also demanded that the media stop poking for more information. While his public apology didn't hurt him, had he left some comments out, it would have been an effective at fixing the problems he faced.

TOPIC CHANGE ~ TIGER TURNS CHEETAH !!!

I have decided to direct my attention to the scandal and subsequent apology that Tiger Woods engaged in as there is more material in that direction than that of Bill Maher. I am sorry for any confusion I may have caused my dedicated followers.

What Tiger Woods did, came out of nowhere. He had worked hard all his life and climbed to the peak. For many he was an icon, somebody to look up to. Up until his sexual relations with multiple women, he had done everything right. From there, came a big fall. Tiger would go on to total his car while exiting from his driveway. This was the first incident that brought attention to Tiger Woods and what it was that he was doing. Eventually the truth gushed out, and everyone knew that Tiger had been cheating on his wife.

With his back up to a wall, Tiger's only real option was to sincerely apologize and let everyone know how big of a fool he was and how much he regretted his actions. So, he eventually made a public apology. For the most part it was executed perfectly, except for the part where he askeds the paparazzi and media to stop following him and asking for detail. This apology was not the correct place to let people know that he needed some peace. Since then, Tiger has had a difficult time getting back on track, and his wife has left him.

FULL APOLOGY TRANSCRIPT HERE