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John Crumpacker
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
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Athens -- An ugly international incident occurred Monday in Athens and received no media play because the perpetrators were members of the U.S. and Dutch press, who strangely chose not to write about it.
They know who they are, and they should be ashamed.
It happened in the chaotic interview room at the swimming venue and the occasion was, ostensibly, a news conference featuring the gold medalist in the women's 100-meter breaststroke, Xuejuan Luo of China. She was joined on the dais by a translator.
Members of the U.S. press were waiting for Michael Phelps or Natalie Coughlin to come into the room. The Dutch were there for Pieter van den Hoogenband, silver medalist in the men's 200 freestyle.
The problems were concurrent. The Americans (none from this newspaper, thankfully) were yakking it up in smug little coteries while the soft-spoken Luo and her soft-spoken translator were trying to answer questions. Meanwhile, van den Hoogenband came into the interview room, walked behind Luo on the dais and sat down at the end, totally out of turn, and conducted his own interview for the Dutch media.
Some of the Americans drowning out the Chinese pair, who owned the floor based on all accepted forms of protocol, were columnists you've read for years. Maybe you like their work. Their arrogance, condescension and plain old lack of respect for the Chinese was appalling. Ditto the Dutch, primarily van den Hoogenband for trampling on a fellow competitor's interview time.
The moderator, an Athens volunteer and a reasonable man, tried to restore order by calling for quiet. One American columnist shouted back that the problem was this man's lack of control over the room, not his own blather combined with others of his country and his ilk.
Ugly Americans are not just those who throw apple cores in the canals of Venice, belch in the Vatican or swipe a rock from the sacred Parthenon, as one U.S. writer has done here. These uglies should know better, covering international sports as they do. Maybe their parents didn't teach them basic respect and courtesy toward others; maybe that's why they became columnists, because the world clearly revolves around them.
The sad thing is Luo had some nice things to say, as relayed by the translator. She mentioned how happy her parents would be when she talks to them and how they would probably go to Tiananmen Square to celebrate.
Of course, the nattering nabobs of narcissism never heard any of it.
E-mail John Crumpacker at [email protected].
maybe that's why they became columnists, because the world clearly revolves around them.
freeandfun1 said:That statement could apply to most liberals.
DKSuddeth said:you have a problem with the world revolving around me? :read: :cof:
