Judgy, Judge, Judge, Judge: The Internet Witch-Burning Of Gabby Douglas
People are quick to know it all -- to be sure they know the motives of a young gymnast being watched by the world on TV and the Internet and by thousands of spectators around her. (And all of this on top of the tremendous pressure of competing in the Olympics.)
This is the story of Gabby Douglas, the gymnast who didn't put her hand over her heart when the national anthem played at the Olympics.
The LA Times Editorial Board writes:
After the medal ceremony Tuesday in which Douglas stood with her arms down, apparently clasping something in both hands while her colleagues on the U.S. women's gymnastics team followed the accepted hand-to-heart protocol, social and traditional media blew up. What was she trying to convey? Was this a willful act of protest? Was it a Black Lives Matter thing (coming as it did on the second anniversary of Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Mo.)? Did it reflect a disrespect for the country that gave her the opportunity to be an Olympian?No, Douglas said later, when she apologized. It was inadvertent. She was overwhelmed, she said, and meant no offense.
But the real question is this: Why should she have to apologize? Why are we making judgments about a gold medalist who has spent countless hours of her life training and preparing for these Games based on whether or not she displays her patriotism in some socially approved manner?
As I noted about the outragers who came down on Ellen DeGeneres as "racist" (for her Photoshopped pic of herself supposedly running errands on the back of Usain Bolt), these standard bearers often seem to be motivated by two things: A need to put out "content" while not personally having much to say and a need to belong to the group of people who accuse a particular person of a particular thing.
As somebody noted at the LA Times site, in the comments:
No_Scoundrel:While it's obviously a speech issue and Gabby can behave as she wishes on the podium, there will in many cases be repercussions for not following norms. That's to be expected.
In this case, however, Gabby's behavior was quite normal and reasonable. And respectful. Take a look at the 1992 Dream Team during the playing of the anthem at their medal ceremony. Why weren't the 10 of 12 players who were showing "disrespect" pilloried back then? It's simple: Internet bullying had not been invented yet. Now, in a new low, it's being re-broadcast on the LA Times sports pages.
I also write in "Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck" about how it's easy to excuse ourselves for a "mistake," and yet be sure that the same mistake in others comes from some nasty place:
Finally, it can help to recognize that whether you excuse a driver's behavior as a result of simply being confused or preoccupied (rather than flagrantly rude) often depends on whether you happen to be that driver.This is called "attribution bias" and describes how we tend to think far more charitably about ourselves and our own behavior than other people and theirs.
It's something to remember the next time the light turns green and the driver in front of you is just sitting there growing roots--just like he did at the previous light.
Consider the possibility that he is lost and looking down at his directions--tempted as you are to believe that he knows who you are, sat outside your house waiting for you to leave, and then followed you down the road just to screw with you.
They're motivated by a need to feel morally superior to everyone around them. By tearing down public figures who err, sometimes inadvertently, they can hold themselves up as exemplars of virtue.
Gabby Douglas should have stood with her hand over her heart. She didn't. She apologized. The apology was necessary and heartfelt, and it's entirely believable that a young woman who just won an Olympic medal might be overwhelmed by it all and forget a protocol or two. She brought her country Olympic gold; what have her critics done for the country?
As for Ellen's Photoshopped picture, I thought it was funny. And I'll bet Usain Bolt did too. He strikes me as a guy who's having fun with his life. Anyone who can make running track look as joyful as he does has got to have a sense of humor.
Conan the Grammarian at August 19, 2016 6:19 AM
I have nothing to offer except that I find perpetual outrage exhausting.
JFP at August 19, 2016 6:28 AM
I remember watching Super Bowl XXXV (35). The controversial Ray Lewis was playing for Baltimore. He had been involved in a nightclub stabbing years earlier, but was not charged when one of his companions confessed. Jason Sehorn, the only white cornerback in the league (the position demands tremendous speed) was playing for the Giants.
The narrative was Lewis (black) = thug and Sehorn (white) = All American Kid. During the national anthem, Lewis stood quietly with his hand over his heart singing along with the words. Sehorn mugged for the camera, doing hip-hop hand gestures while his teammates stood respectfully.
Gabby Douglas was not pulling a Jason Sehorn. She stood quietly and with her hands at her side.
Conan the Grammarian at August 19, 2016 6:30 AM
People are sensitive to athletes using their sports as platforms for their personal political views. We watch sports because it's one of the few venues these days where you can get away from politics for a while, and because the fundamentals of sports (which are ultimately based on the laws of physics and biology) have no respect for political correctness.
However, Douglas was clearly preoccupied, which was very understandable under the circumstances. I saw the first Facebook memes the next day and I thought, "big freakin deal." It wasn't like she did the Black Panthers salute on the podium.
"I have nothing to offer except that I find perpetual outrage exhausting."
Normal, mentally well-adjusted people do. Our brains and our endocrine systems aren't designed to remain in the fight-or-flight state for very long. It takes a toil on the body. But Cluster B's... they find it exciting, invigorating, and yes, fun.
Cousin Dave at August 19, 2016 6:42 AM
As long as she's respectful during the playing of the anthem, I really don't care if someone places her hand over her heart.
Insufficient Poison at August 19, 2016 7:34 AM
Gabby Douglas should have stood with her hand over her heart.
Um...why? People can show respect in a number of different ways. Standing quietly and introspectively is the way the vast majority of athletes do it.
She apologized. The apology was necessary and heartfelt...
The apology was not necessary. She's young, and wants to be liked, so she apologized. From my curmudgeonly perspective, the right response: "Some people look damned hard for ways to be offended things to get offended. These people need to get a life."
a_random_guy at August 19, 2016 7:39 AM
It wasn't like she did the Black Panthers salute on the podium.
✅
Then there's Usain Bolt pausing an interview to let the anthem play: https://youtu.be/u8uiYELBajc
And a US pole vaulter aborted a practice vault when he heard the anthem:
https://bustedcoverage.com/2016/08/18/sam-kendricks-national-anthem-olympics-pole-vault-video-rio/
Leave Gabby alone. It isn't like she trashed a convenience store's bathroom then made up a story about being robbed at gun point.
I R A Darth Aggie at August 19, 2016 7:41 AM
Right. And some athletes place their hands over the heart, technically performing the pose, but are joking and laughing.
Insufficient Poison at August 19, 2016 7:52 AM
"It isn't like she trashed a convenience store's bathroom then made up a story about being robbed at gun point."
Damn, was that embarrassing. I wonder if those clowns realize that they created an international incident. Good thing we're on reasonably good terms with Brazil.
BTW: what is it with the Brazilian beach volleyball players insisting on being addressed and listed in the scores by their first names? Am I missing something?
Cousin Dave at August 19, 2016 8:38 AM
It was necessary. She is an Olympic athlete representing her country. She should show respect to the flag of the country she is representing. That she didn't is an understandable oversight given the excitement, but the oversight requires an apology.
She gave one. Federal case closed. Time for the critics to climb down off her back.
36 U.S. Code § 301 - National anthem
Conan the Grammarian at August 19, 2016 9:32 AM
"Damn, was that embarrassing. I wonder if those clowns realize that they created an international incident. Good thing we're on reasonably good terms with Brazil."
Im still not convinced that is the whole story. Could have just as easily been extortion. Happens all the time in South America.
How much did the guy with the gun demand for them breaking the lock?
Isab at August 19, 2016 9:45 AM
> As for Ellen's Photoshopped picture, I thought it was funny. And I'll bet Usain Bolt did too.
One weird guess as to who retweeted Ellen's tweet.
There was no need for Douglas to put her hand over her heart either. The same nitwits will also loudly shout awful the pledge of allegiance is in school or the "under god" phrase.
jerry at August 19, 2016 9:53 AM
Personally, having kids say the Pledge of Allegiance in school is probably not a bad idea, but I'm not going to get worked up about it. And "under God" was always the part of the Pledge I skipped over saying in school.
So much for that generalization.
Conan the Grammarian at August 19, 2016 11:43 AM
Another little legal tidbit about conduct regarding the flag:
4 U.S. Code § 9 - Conduct during hoisting, lowering or passing of flag
Conan the Grammarian at August 19, 2016 2:23 PM
"It isn't like she trashed a convenience store's bathroom then made up a story about being robbed at gun point."
They were robbed at gun point. I don't care if someone damages your property. Here in the US if you point a gun at someone and demand money from them that is robbery. You can hold them till the cops arrive. Of course you may be arrested for kidnapping at that point. But it is the courts and the police who are allowed to take your stuff to right the wrong, not individual citizens.
Of course considering how the Brazilian courts acted in this case I can't fault the Brazilian government for passing those powers on to their citizens. They probably do a better job of it.
Ben at August 19, 2016 3:19 PM
To be honest with you Gabby seemed kind of down the entire week. She smiled and clapped when her teammates did well, but mostly seemed kind of sullen and unhappy.
I do not pay a lot of attention to gymnastics, outside of my local high school teams because my daughter competes, so the last I really paid attention to Gabby was 4 years ago. Perhaps she is just older and less cheerful and ebullient? Maybe there are issues she is facng that I don't know about? Regardless, she was not the cheerful young lady I remember.
However, just based on her facial expressions and general body language, I really got the sense she was (is?) not happy. While I could certainly look at her general demeanor and her behavior on the medals stand and spin all sorts of horrible conclusions, that would be uncharitable in the extreme.
I just hope she is well.
(And also, as a complete aside but because it is recent, I continue to ask that we all support almae matres as the plural for alma mater. Yes, I'm a dork (or as you suggested "asshole, asshole, asshole"), but it does sound better. Do we generally use alumnuses or alumni, after all?)
William (Almae Matres) at August 19, 2016 6:49 PM
WRT deGeneres:
It's easy not to be a racist. In fact, it's so easy there's no distinction in it. So how does one who has nothing else worth noting going for him become Superior?
By accusing the maximum number of his fellow citizens of racism and finding it under every rock. In this way, the clown is in the tiny minority of non-racists which means great distinction.
For a yummy topping, said clown messily admits his own racism while insisting everybody who does not is even worse.
Richard Aubrey at August 20, 2016 5:10 AM
Unfortunately, yes. I was once introduced at a college function as "an alumni."
Conan the Grammarian at August 21, 2016 7:18 AM
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