As anthem plays during Olympic trials medaling, Gwen Berry makes a stand
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Started by metmike - June 28, 2021, 11:22 p.m.

As anthem plays during Olympic trials medaling, Gwen Berry makes a stand

https://www.marketforum.com/forum/new_topic/

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By metmike - June 29, 2021, 12:14 a.m.
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Rep. Dan Crenshaw calls for Olympic athlete Gwen Berry to be 'removed from the team' for national anthem protest

https://www.businessinsider.com/dan-crenshaw-olympics-video-gwen-berry-removed-from-the-team-2021-6


metmike: She should be removed immediately.

She is sheeting on the US and also the Olympic rules, which require athletes to compete FOR THEIR COUNTRY. 

If this was a competition that does not feature her on team USA, then she would be free to express her political opinions but the way that the Olympic rules are set up is that everybody, every single athlete competes for their country.

To claim the benefits from being on the USA team and being part of that team, you must play by the rules......whether you like them or not.

With regards to them playing the National Anthem, when somebody from that country's  team wins the gold.....it part of the well understood and accepted procedure/rules that every athlete agrees with that they recognize.

The athlete AND the team/country are recognized at the same time. They are representing their country/team.........its part of the rules. 

Athletes don't get to pick the rules in order to suit their political agenda/ideologies.

If they don't like the rules, then work outside of the competition and make a case to change them. 

Playing by all the rules that benefit her..........except this one is being a hypocrite.

It makes HER look really bad.............even as many on one side, like the title of the article on the previous post"taking a stand".

This is not how you change things. You don't win over the side that disagrees with you by sheeting on their cherished symbols and sheeting on the entity that makes the rules. 

It's ok to speak out for your cause using your celebrity status but not by disrespecting others/entities and the exact rules of the people that made you the celebrity, that are totally supporting you to become the best that you can become.

What makes this most absurd is the lady claims "I feel like I was set up"

Nobody made her turn away during the ceremony that recognized her team based on the rules which have existed for almost a century. 

Either follow the rules like everybody else(and use the dozens of other venue's to express you political opinions) or don't compete in the sport that makes following those rule mandatory.

You don't get to pick/make the rules!

 


nationalanthems.info

    http://www.nationalanthems.info/oly.htm

 

Olympics

"National anthems play a big part in the Olympic Games. Starting with the 1924 Games, the winner’s national anthem for each event is played as their flag is hoisted in celebration. Also, according to Olympic rules, national anthems cannot be longer than 80 seconds in length, causing some countries to create a shortened version of their anthem to be played at the Games in the event that their participant wins. (Ironically, the full version of the Olympic Hymn is several minutes long!) Also, a nation may choose to have another anthem played instead of their national one if they so choose; for example, at the 1992 Games, the former Soviet republics united under a team known as the “Unified Team”, whenever a member of this team won their event, they chose the song “Ode to Joy” to be played. During the 1980 Games in Moscow, several non-Communist countries that were participating chose to have the Olympic Hymn played rather than their own anthem when they won their event. Also, because of conflicts with China, Taiwan has a special song which they use for such events known as the “Flag Raising Song”."

metmike: If she wants to make an arrangement with the committee that decides on the songs(if she wins the Gold she has come clout to pick another song-but she didn't. She won the bronze the winner of the Gold is the one that determines the song in the actual Olympics.
A bronze medal winner that doesn't recognize the gold metal winner's National Anthem is actually disrespecting her own team mate that won.

All the attention on this is now on this person.........more than the actual gold metal winner that should be getting the attention to recognize her winning the event.

Instead, 3rd place gets all the attention, entirely for her political agenda and NOT for how well she competed........in the most important sports competition that these ladies will compete in during their life.

By GunterK - June 29, 2021, 9:22 a.m.
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There is something special about the Olympic Games. It’s an event where countries set aside their differences and come together in friendship.

For an athlete, there is no higher honor than to be allowed to represent his/her country in the Olympics. This woman has disrespected this honor in other international games before. Should she win a medal during the coming Olympics, there is little doubt she would use this opportunity to embarrass the USA again.

She is allowed to be an “activist”. She can go on protest marches and even burn the flag, if she wants to show her dislike for this country. In today’s age, she can even burn down a business or loot a store in the name of “social justice”, and not much will happen to her.

But, be part of the US Olympic team??? No!

It’s also interesting that she brought all attention to herself at this event, claiming to be “set up”, overshadowing the winner of this event, who set a new US record in Hammer Throw.

Sadly, our President is supporting her.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9732175/Gwen-Berry-Backlash-against-Olympic-hammer-thrower-turned-away-flag-anthem.html



By mcfarmer - June 29, 2021, 1:02 p.m.
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If we have freedom of speech I’m not sure we get to decide when it doesn’t apply.

By metmike - June 29, 2021, 1:11 p.m.
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When our freedom of speech hurts other people and violates understood/expected behavior and protocol/rules in order to use the entities hosting  an event for our own personal political agenda vs what we are there for, thanks to those that invite us it’s a huge problem.

By metmike - June 29, 2021, 1:17 p.m.
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If everyone had embraced her as a wonderful person standing up for civil rights.....like she planned....then she would not claim to be set up.

There was very justified backlash......so she has to blame somebody.

Either own the actions that you alone control and our responsible for........or behave in an acceptable manner.

She is very privileged and should be honored and overwhelmed with gratitude for having this opportunity that would not have happened without the support of the country that finances the team she is on.


By metmike - June 29, 2021, 1:17 p.m.
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If everyone had embraced her as a wonderful person standing up for civil rights.....like she planned....then she would not claim to be set up.

There was very justified backlash......so she has to blame somebody.

Either own the actions that you alone control and our responsible for........or behave in an acceptable manner.

She is very privileged and should be honored and overwhelmed with gratitude for having this opportunity that would not have happened without the support of the country that finances the team she is on.


By metmike - June 29, 2021, 1:17 p.m.
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If everyone had embraced her as a wonderful person standing up for civil rights.....like she planned....then she would not claim to be set up.

There was very justified backlash......so she has to blame somebody.

Either own the actions that you alone control and our responsible for........or behave in an acceptable manner.

She is very privileged and should be honored and overwhelmed with gratitude for having this opportunity that would not have happened without the support of the country that finances the team she is on.


By metmike - June 29, 2021, 1:17 p.m.
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If everyone had embraced her as a wonderful person standing up for civil rights.....like she planned....then she would not claim to be set up.

There was very justified backlash......so she has to blame somebody.

Either own the actions that you alone control and our responsible for........or behave in an acceptable manner.

She is very privileged and should be honored and overwhelmed with gratitude for having this opportunity that would not have happened without the support of the country that finances the team she is on.


By mcfarmer - June 29, 2021, 1:18 p.m.
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Is it a right as an American to participate in the Olympic selection process ?


From Wikipedia:


”Entry to the United States Olympic Trials is open to any U.S. Citizen who has achieved the "A" standard”

By TimNew - June 29, 2021, 1:41 p.m.
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You're right.  Either we have freedom of speech, or we don't.

But I think the olymipc team members are subject to certain standards of behavior as representatives of this country, and an expectation of respect twards team mates and the country certainly don't seem unreasonable.

She is more than welcome to express herself anyway she likes,  on her own time.

By mcfarm - June 29, 2021, 3:30 p.m.
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is it a right? absolutely not. She is eligible, Its supposed to be a huge honor to represent your country. She knew quite well what was expected of her in regards to behavior. She was "set up" ....now that is a laugh, She has every right to stay home and protest.

By GunterK - June 29, 2021, 5:22 p.m.
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By metmike - June 29, 2021, 6:59 p.m.
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The more that I think about this the more insane and wrong it is.

The Olympics are a GLOBAL competition. There are billions of people on this planet that would give up everything to live here and most of them are NOT white.

In fact millions want it so bad right now, that they are giving up everything they have, risking their lives to travel 1,000+ miles from poor countries to sneak across our southern border illegally. The only reason it’s not 10 times worse is that Africa, India, China and most of the world is not on the same continent as we are.

It’s a dream that will never be fulfilled for almost everybody in the undeveloped world.

Remember again, the Olympics are a GLOBAL competition for every county.

For a non white person from the country that is where almost all the non white  people on the planet want to live to get up on a pedistal of extremely high achievement that only happened because of her living this country  to send a message to the billions of people that have almost nothing.....exactly because they don’t live in the USA.......tells you how totally messed up the mentality is.

By metmike - June 29, 2021, 7:26 p.m.
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This is a very confused young lady brainwashed by the America is racist narrative that the MSM, politicians and others have captured her brain with.

There are 100 other countries with much worse political and economic things going on than here in the place where they all want to live in.

So if this person is politically protesting her country using her misguided and and very bad advice.......why shouldn’t half of the other metal winners do the same thing?

You may say that the US has freedom of speech that allows that.......exactly!

Keep it in the US!

This is a GLOBAL competition where all the rules, regulations and behavior expectations should be the same. The US isn’t allowed  to make the rules for behavior for competitors in other countries because it’s NOT the US making the rules and behavior expectations. 

The Olympic committee absolutely does not want the metals stand to act as a pulpit for people with political statements.

This is so, so wrong and disrespects them in a huge way.

I don’t have as much of a problem with somebody taking a knee at NFL football games, even if they are misguided and disrespecting many patriotic Americans and causing more harm than advancing a cause.......because the N in NFL stands for National as in just the United States.

This is a total BS action for the global/world venue of the Olympics.

As you might expect. Liberals supported her and republicans condemned it......because that’s the way everybody views everything.

This is about respecting the Olympics. Respecting the other athletes in the competition. Respecting the many billions of people on this planet that are tuned into the Global Olympic news......she is telling the world....my black privilege to bitch about perceived racism in this horrible country that got me here.......is way more important on this stage than any of your piddly  problems trying to just survive.


By mcfarmer - June 29, 2021, 7:27 p.m.
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Again, I haven’t seen anything directly, really don’t care.

Freedom of speech isn’t just for speech we like, she doesn’t give up her rights when participating. I doubt if she took a loyalty oath before participating, but then loyalty oaths don’t seem to be very binding these days anyway.

She took a  risk, will probably suffer financially, all well and good.

Forced respect isn’t respect, forced patriotism is self defeating. Supporting freedom of expression speaks louder than suppression.

Tempest in a teapot.

By GunterK - June 29, 2021, 10:10 p.m.
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mcfarmer,

The dailmail link I posted, shows hundreds of readers’ comments, when you scroll down deep below the end of the article.

No reader said anything about forcing her to be loyal to the USA. The almost unanimous comment was to simply kick her off the team.

Every athlete, in every country, considers it an honor to represent his country at the Olympics.

When an athlete wins, they put him/her on the podium and give him a medal, as a souvenir to take home. But they also honor his/her country by raising the flag and playing the country’s anthem. Even visitors from other countries honor that winning country by being silent for the time the winning country’s anthem is played.

This women reacted out of clear dislike of the USA. Her behavior was almost as bad as giving the flag the finger.

When confronted, she responded by saying “she loves her country”, but she is competing “for her people”.

Well, what she did, clearly indicated that she does not like her country. She is lying.

Secondly,”her people” are not sending her to the Olympics. It’s the USA that is sending athletes there to represent the country.

If she wants to exercise her freedom of speech, she can do it at home, during one of the so popular BLM riots, not in front of a global audience, with the sole intent of embarrassing her own country.

Stay home! Let another, more grateful athlete take her place.

It’s not a tempest in a tea pot. It’s about the image of the USA on a world stage.

*******

BTW… if she feels that the USA is mistreating her, or “her people”… doing what she did is not helping her cause… it causes more division.

By metmike - June 29, 2021, 10:41 p.m.
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Thanks mcfarmer,

Just like I said people will not use critical thinking  to decide what is right based on objective facts or whether she is hurting OTHER PEOPLE and institutions, including the one that she represents ....they only care about whether it’s a liberal cause or conservative cause.

That the measuring stick for everything and for almost everybody and the ones doing it, can always see it clearly.......but only when it’s the other side doing it.

In this case, it’s a liberal cause and nothing else matters to liberals. So they all circle the wagons to support her for standing up for her beliefs (which by no coincidence are their beliefs-metmike has been strongly  supporting civil rights too since the 1970s growing up in Detroit and on this forum with reality checks/suggestions on what the truth is about helping minorities and the poor.

Supporting her freedom of speech(which ironically many people in this competition which is suppose to be 100% about determining who the best athletes in the world are and not tainted with political shenanigans.

It’s very true that she has the freedom to say what she wants to say.We have the freedom in this country to spend our days  calling everybody we cross paths with mf-ers or racists and to drag other people down instead of trying to build them up.them. Or we can smile and say nice things to them and lift them up.

And when we disagree with somebody or some people or some country as this person is doing....we can express that In a similar fashion which usually gives similar results.....always with the freedom of choice to say and do what we want.

Violating behavior expectations by disrespecting symbols that some people consider sacred and displaying behavior that justifiably embarrasses tens of  millions from  the country  that you are representing is the recipe for making enemies. 

The people that already support her cause are the only ones supporting what she did and don’t care about anything except that she is one of them.

The manner and venue in which she expressed herself created many enemies of those that do not believe in the way that she expressing her cause and alienated people like me who are objective. 

And she has obviously been brainwashed to think that the US is systemically racist and wants to convince other people of that.

You don't do something like this unless you want to draw everyone's attention to what you are telling them is an EXTREME problem.

There are 100 much more appropriate ways for her to use her freedom of speech.

She represents the United States. Its important for people in that role, being financed and supported by that country to be respectful of that country.

Otherwise, dont take all their money and support.

Trump certainly embarrassed the USA numerous ties.....while stating all positive things about our country. ....even when he was a negative reflection with his unacceptable behavior. Every liberal thought this was horrible.....and I agree.

But since this lady is doing it for a liberal cause......it’s ok.

Double standard/hypocrisy 

By metmike - June 30, 2021, 2:52 a.m.
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Who is Gwen Berry, the Olympic hammer thrower who snubbed the US flag?

https://nypost.com/article/who-is-gwen-berry-us-olympic-hammer-thrower/


"She could no longer ignore that feeling when Michael Brown, 19, was shot by police while he was walking home unarmed in her hometown of Ferguson in 2014.

“My heart was broken. Here is this young man — another young man — that’s just killed, unarmed and killed. It made me question, ‘Why is this becoming a thing?'”

 She said the experience “woke her up.”


Met mike: What she stated is not the truth.

Michael Brown refused to be arrested and tried to take the officers gun, then was shot by rhewsw2z dx officer doing his duty.

"Hands up don't shoot" is totally made up. It never happened.

How about..............instead of violent criminals being turned into martyrs, even when cops risking their lives try to arrest them(there art legit incidents but this was NOT one of them).........we work a bit on the 6 times higher rate of violent crime committed by young black men......make that, let's focus on that the most because its almost entirely responsible for the problem.

A civil rights activist that tells us she got started based on a lie and is using her celebrity status to repeat that lie............and to insult tens of millions of Americans that she thinks are bad people because her father, an extreme activist, indoctrinated systemic racism bunk into her head.............  is the exactly WRONG person to represent the truth in this realm.

2 very important things to create positive change is to represent the truth, along with respecting other peoples feelings.



By TimNew - June 30, 2021, 3:39 a.m.
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Once again, she has every right to her opinion and expression,  but she has no right to expect this country to provide her with a world wide platform to express it. 

By metmike - June 30, 2021, 12:44 p.m.
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Agreed Tim, she does have the RIGHT to do this................and increase divisiveness and hate in this country is what she just did while drawing attention to herself.

If she and others REALLY want to help minorities, stop all the political posturing to get attention, votes, while blaming the ones who are actually risking the most.........their lives, the cops who are actually doing the most for providing black communities with what they actually need in order for them to fully enjoy the American dream.


It isn't rocket science. It requires common sense and the ability to ignore all the self serving interest driven groups that are controlling all the false narratives that are completely driving this issue:

https://www.marketforum.com/forum/topic/53752/#53753


We already have millions of people on the BLM mentality caravan and now we can add one more that wants to showcase it by snubbing a symbol  cherished  by tens of millions of Americans and many more than that worldwide.......that greatly offended them.

So when will we have people step forward with the REAL/VIABLE solutions and stop the attention grabbing, counter productive  shenanigans?