tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post1773788241392086055..comments2024-02-23T11:23:45.971-05:00Comments on Lost Motorcyclist: Canadian Women Win Hockey Gold, Apologise to US for Celebration Gone WrongLost Motorcyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08873504561959138792noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-20117659974669582572010-02-26T11:11:51.468-05:002010-02-26T11:11:51.468-05:00I guess I have not been following the men's fi...I guess I have not been following the men's figure skating, as I knew nothing about Johnny Weir, until I started looking it up this morning.<br /><br />Facts that I found out: Weir ended up sixth in the figure skating. I believe the commentator, Alain Goldberg, started off by wondering if Weir had lost points because of his "look". I guess this implies that Goldberg thought Weir deserved a higher standing than he was awarded.<br /><br />It is pretty well accepted by everyone that Weir puts on an over-the-top gay appearance. However, Weir does not seem to "cross the line" into being offensive by US or Canadian cultural norms. I was not even able to figure out if he was really gay, or whether this behaviour was a way to poke fun at gays, or if he just loves provoking controversy. But from the pictures I saw, he is definitely pushing it. His official statement is something like he wants to be known for his sport, not his flamboyance, but he has to be true to himself.<br /><br />I only saw one reference to Alain Goldberg being gay himself. But I figured this was impossible, because if he was gay, he could not be accused of being a homophobe. (that was the official complaint made by the Quebec Gay and Lesbian group to the CRTC). Also, he may have been cut more slack in commenting that he did not like the near-comical image being projected by Johnny Weir, and that it may discourage young boys (either gay or straight or don't know yet) from wanting to compete in men's figure skating. <br /><br />Anyhow the commentators did go too far in speculating what other gender-bending boundaries remained yet to be pushed. Then they made several really stupid comments about Weir having to undergo a masculinity test. From what I understand, up to now, the only gender testing is to make sure men are not playing womens sports, not the other way round.<br /><br />I believe Goldberg has apologised to Johnny Weir for the comments. Weir actually lost by quite a wide margin, so at least it was not sour grapes. But the situation called for a formal complaint, and they got one.<br /><br />On the other hand, the hockey "scandal" was more a mean-spirited invention than a reality, and the whole thing has been dropped. (I think)Lost Motorcyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873504561959138792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-48694013720582367282010-02-26T09:21:57.944-05:002010-02-26T09:21:57.944-05:00Sheesh! How mean-spirited is that?
Personally, I&...Sheesh! How mean-spirited is that?<br /><br />Personally, I'll just chalk it up to 'sour grapes' from the Americans ... 'Come on, you Americans, it's only a game!'<br /><br />On the other hand, media mean-spiritedness is not an exclusively American preserve, as <a href="http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Fury+over+homophobic+treatment+Johnny+Weir/2599267/story.html" rel="nofollow">commentators at RDS</a> (<i>Réseau des sports</i>) have demonstrated.Madeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593933575568389288noreply@blogger.com