Posted by Libby on 3/14/2006, 7:18 am, in reply to "Re: What A Pathetic Bid for Attention" --Previous Message--
198.182.163.102
No, he hasn't "earned the right to say what he wants" - not when he is verbally assaulting another skater without cause, jealously attacking that young man in the middle of his first Olympic experience merely to grab a bit of his spotlight and try to ruin the good publicity the other skater is getting. That is unacceptable and reprehensible behavior from anyone, Rudy included. He doesn't get a free pass just because he has HIV, honey. Who knows how much the media uproar that Rudy caused by demanding that the media publicly "out" Johnny Weir against his will contributed to Johnny's loss of concentration in the free program the next day, and his subsequent fall from second place to fifth, thereby costing him a medal at the Olympics? It was cruel and mean-spirited, and inspired by nothing but Rudy's own jealousy of a younger, better-looking, more talented skater who has already achieved more at the age of 21 than he ever did. NO ONE SHOULD BE FORCED TO DISCUSS THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION PUBLICLY UNLESS THEY SO CHOOSE. IT IS A PERSONAL CHOICE.
: back off of Rudy, he has done so much
: to help current and future gay
: skaters he has earned the right to
: say what he wants he is a true
: sportsman!!!!!
:
: --Previous Message--
: How very sad, Rudy. Your
: unnecessary
: attack on a fellow skater (Johnny
: Weir) in the media is sure to lose
: you a lot of your longtime fans. It
: has certainly cost you my support.
: As an out-and-proud lesbian and an
: adult figure skater, I have always
: admired you both professionally and
: personally. But there is absolutely
: no excuse for demanding a public
: outing of another athlete; you
: should be ashamed. You CHOOSE to
: discuss your sexual orientation
: publicly; good for you. You have no
: right to presume to make that choice
: for anyone else.
:
: Just as ludicrous is your contention
: that Mr. Weir "copies"
: your style. His skating could
: hardly be more different in style
: from yours (you whine that you
: sometimes see him do a spin or jump
: that reminds him of yours, but how
: many dozens of skaters who came
: before you could have said the same
: about your moves? You didn't invent
: a single one of the moves you
: perform, nor is the way you do them
: particularly original). And at the
: same time you decry that Mr. Weir is
: obligated to declare with whom he
: has sex simply because YOU have, you
: shriek that he is copying you just
: because he tends toward the
: flamboyant - as if you and only you
: own the skating world's rights to
: flamboyance! What an ego.
:
: It would appear that you are peeved
: over all of the media attention Mr.
: Weir has been receiving and tried to
: grab a bit for yourself by attacking
: him so publicly. The result is that
: you have shown yourself to be a
: jealous and shameless individual,
: willing to hurt anyone to get
: himself into the spotlight. Shame
: on you.
:
:
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