The best part of the recent Olympics???
I wasn’t much following the games, in fact I did not watch any of it on TV. But there was one thing that caught my attention: gymnastics. No, I’m not talking about the bars or floor routine or vault. I am talking about a bunch of fat, pasty-faced, middle-aged, right-wing pundits get their collective panties in a bunch when Simone Biles withdrew from the team competition.
I had heard comments about gymnastics and injuries, likewise mentions about Kerri Strug and her “heroism”. The reality of Kerri Strug is that she never competed after that. Her coach had gotten what he wanted, so she had no further utility to him or USA gymnastics. The American audience got what they wanted: Entertained and a chance to wrap themselves in their little holy cloth and chant “USA Number 1” a few times. So Kerri got a pat on the back and was told to have a nice life. OK, there you have it, the disposability of these supposed icons.
So, I would like to offer a simple decision tree.
Now let’s get back to Simone Biles. And for a bit of focus on catastrophic injuries in gymnastics, let me give you a few names:
- Elena Mukhina
- Jacoby Miles
- Julissa Gomez
- Melanie Coleman
- Sang Lan
Go ahead. Look them up. We’ll wait.
Elena Mukhina was not allowed to say no. Specific to the current situation, Jacoby Miles later said that she remembered “getting lost” before completing her 2nd flip. She will never walk again. Sounds rather like what Simone Biles’ has described: The twisties. Julissa Gomez was rapidly rising through the ranks of elite gymnastics when her life was cut short by a vaulting accident in 1988 that left her a quadriplegic. She eventually died from her injury in 1991. Melanie Coleman was a college gymnast who died after suffering spinal injury during practice. Sang Lan was only 17 when a vaulting accident left her paraplegic. And yet, despite these risks and this known history of catastrophic accidents, so many people want Simone Biles to risk her own life simply so that they can be further entertained and subsequently wave their holy cloth and chant.
Should any athlete be required to risk their life in an Olympic event because winning a Bronze, Silver or Gold medal for their country is more important than their health or possibly their life? Apparently someof those on the right (can I say the naziverse or fasciverse without sounding judgmental?) believe the answer should be “Yes”. They think that they are ENTITLED to be entertained. Risk becoming quadriplegic in exchange for a moment or 2 of their viewing pleasure?
I guess those entitled little brats will have to wait a little for their chanting and flag waving.
