Does the public have the right to criticize an Olympian’s weight?
Seems to me that the obvious answer is "no," but I thought I'd throw it out there for discussion:
www.theglobeandmail.com/.../
Does the public/press have the *right* to do so? Sure. Armchair athletes/coaches the world over do it all the time, usually with very little insight or merit. I guess in an odd way I'm glad that Australia is passionate enough about the sport of swimming to care.
Is it incredibly rude and ungrateful for her countrymen to criticize her right before the games, given all that she's done? Most definitely!
I dunno, maybe she won't medal this time. But she was good enough to make one of the best Olympic swim teams in the world, obviously she deserves a lot more respect.
Good point, Chris. The question was ill-formed -- I simply stole the headline from an article. A better question would be "Should the public criticize an Olympian's weight?" Then it becomes more clearly a question of ethics or etiquette rather than a legal question.
The proof will be how well she swims. If she swims well, then her weight is irrelevant. If she doesn't swim well, then some will say it is her weight, but as we all know there can be many contributing factors. Saying it is her weight would just be speculation.
It seems to me that this is just another excuse to obsess over a female's weight, to stare at her pictures and think we have the right (there is that word again) to be sitting in judgement. The same thing that happens with actresses and singers who gain weight.
Does the public/press have the *right* to do so? Sure. Armchair athletes/coaches the world over do it all the time, usually with very little insight or merit. I guess in an odd way I'm glad that Australia is passionate enough about the sport of swimming to care.
Is it incredibly rude and ungrateful for her countrymen to criticize her right before the games, given all that she's done? Most definitely!
I dunno, maybe she won't medal this time. But she was good enough to make one of the best Olympic swim teams in the world, obviously she deserves a lot more respect.
Good point, Chris. The question was ill-formed -- I simply stole the headline from an article. A better question would be "Should the public criticize an Olympian's weight?" Then it becomes more clearly a question of ethics or etiquette rather than a legal question.
The proof will be how well she swims. If she swims well, then her weight is irrelevant. If she doesn't swim well, then some will say it is her weight, but as we all know there can be many contributing factors. Saying it is her weight would just be speculation.
It seems to me that this is just another excuse to obsess over a female's weight, to stare at her pictures and think we have the right (there is that word again) to be sitting in judgement. The same thing that happens with actresses and singers who gain weight.
