Just because he is from the same country does not make him right
Maybe you want him to change his name like some countries make their new runners do?
Just because he is from the same country does not make him right
Maybe you want him to change his name like some countries make their new runners do?
The flag-wearing got out of control years ago. As a veteran I can tell you that wearing the American flag formally violates flag etiquette and is disrespectful to the flag. This being said, the practice is now considered normal and acceptable in the context of the Olympics. The damage having already been done, it's hard to criticize the display of two (or more) flags, and to single out Leo Manzano for criticism. In my view he's an American hero.
this is one of those dumb things that I can't believe people care about.
a person can identify with more than 1 country. He has strong emotional connections to both countries and wanted to honor them both at the pinnacle of his career. It was obviously very important to him because he made an effort to get both flags.
the olympics are so nationalistic. Especially that stupid medal count that NBC constantly shows. Counting how many medals each country wins, as if it's a meaningful competition to be the best country in the world, seems contrary to the olympic spirit.
to me the olympics are more about different individuals coming together, respecting one another, and joining together in the spirit of competition, showing that they all have something in common.
PokeSmoler wrote:
I really didn't like the author's point of view. He tried to put band-aids on it by saying stuff like "yeah but I'm really proud of being a mexican." Who cares? He obviously sees the Olympics through a different lens than I do. When this guy said that the Olympics is about representing your country, individual be damned, I cringed a little bit.
Sure, it's about representing the good ol' U.S Of A, but for EVERY athlete the Olympics are the pinnacle of their career. They're not doing this for their country, their doing this to validate everything they've done, all the sacrifice and hard work, put in during the past four years. In my eyes the country comes 2nd. It's about celebrating the athletes within that country.
I think he's mistaking it with the overarching theme of the Olympics which is unity among the constituents of our tiny planet. To me it's about the individual, the country can follow.
Exactly, since the USA contributes NOTHING for the support of the athletes that are supposedly representing the USA.
Was there a thread about Mohamed Farah when he carried the US and Somalian flags?
http://somalilandpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/moFarah0232010.jpg
What if Manzano had committed a crime? The same people who now criticize him for waving a Mexican flag would label him as Mexican.
Hopefully not, I imagine the British are a little more sensible than the average Uncle Sam America > All in everything.
Randy Oldman wrote:
Was there a thread about Mohamed Farah when he carried the US and Somalian flags?
http://somalilandpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/moFarah0232010.jpg
Looks like the UK flag. Since he trains in the US, however, I suppose he could have waived all three. ;)
A Mexican fan gave him the flag. Imagine how bad he would've looked if he had just rejected it / ignored it.
You guys disgust me.
ohhhhhhhh i see wrote:
A Mexican fan gave him the flag. Imagine how bad he would've looked if he had just rejected it / ignored it.
You guys disgust me.
Don't be misled by loudmouths and trolls.
You can't tell from the posts because of the anonymity and trolling, but I bet an honest vote on Letsrun would run 10 to 1 in favor of Leo.
James Harden wrote:
Poorly written article that completely misses the point.
I love how so many people on this message board love to say that so-and-so is missing the point. Make sure YOU know the point before you go spouting off about who is "missing" it.
Corunthian wrote:
Didn't Meb hold up an Eritrean flag? Didn't Marion Jones hold up Belize? At the time, I don't think anyone made a fuss about it. I'm sure there are others.
Cathy Freeman held up an Aboriginal flag as well as an Australian flag.
I'm an immigrant and I don't know if I'd carry a British flag along with the US flag in Manzano's situation, but I certainly wouldn't mean any disrespect by the action. Every single American becomes Irish on Saint Patricks's Day and we don't write columns about it.
One of the great things about being an immigrant is that I have twice as many countries to cheer for during the Olympics. It's fun.
Fuug people, this isn't Zionist Israel! The US is a free country for heavens sakes, and not a military dictatorship.
Didn't know De la Hoya did the same thing. Actually Leo has a better claim since he is a dual citizen. I guess it didn't hurt the golden boy's career.
What ever happen to American boxing at the OG's?
Props to Leo
asraw wrote:
You can't tell from the posts because of the anonymity and trolling, but I bet an honest vote on Letsrun would run 10 to 1 against Leo.
If we're going to be truly honest ......
This is NOT a popularity contest. Every American has human rights regardless of religion or ethnicity. This isn't Russia, China, Iran or Israel.
stateless wrote:
Manzano did the work and ran the race and won the medal. As far as I am concerned, he can do anything he wants. If he wants to acknowledge part of his heritage, it's his prerogative.
This.
People can take offense to his actions if they want, but Leo was free to wave both flags. (But not the flag of any of his sponsors.)
Shitt Onmey wrote:
Look, just because you mock something as "brilliant" and call someone stupid doesn't mean you've made a point.
Newsflash: one's " family, or his town, or his alma mater, or his church, or his training group, or.... coach" (with maybe exceptions on coach) will almost always be in and part of the SAME COUNTRY AS ONE IS REPRESENTING. So very weak point on your part.
Whether they are in the same country or not is irrelevant.
Leo said he was representing two countries. And, just like a person can represent their country AND something else (family, town, etc), they can feel like they're representing two countries as well.
If a guy spent 2 years are Harvard and 2 years at Yale, is it not unreasonable to say that he feel like he's representing both schools, even if he happens to only have one name on his shirt?
The whole point, which you apparently completely missed, is that a guy can feel like he's representing multiple entities (countries, locations, schools, groups of people, whatever), even if it's not explicitly written on his shirt.
blaze of glory wrote:
this is one of those dumb things that I can't believe people care about.
a person can identify with more than 1 country. He has strong emotional connections to both countries and wanted to honor them both at the pinnacle of his career. It was obviously very important to him because he made an effort to get both flags.
the olympics are so nationalistic. Especially that stupid medal count that NBC constantly shows. Counting how many medals each country wins, as if it's a meaningful competition to be the best country in the world, seems contrary to the olympic spirit.
to me the olympics are more about different individuals coming together, respecting one another, and joining together in the spirit of competition, showing that they all have something in common.
Wouldn't it be great if all the athletes were assigned a monochrome bodysuit that hid their gender and color and was only labeled with the Olympic rings and a unique number and bar code? That would make the Olympics so much more communal and fun to watch.
alanson wrote:
The flag-wearing got out of control years ago. As a veteran I can tell you that wearing the American flag formally violates flag etiquette and is disrespectful to the flag.
Thanks for your service, and all due respect, but:
I don't understand the "flag rules of etiquette" and "disrespecting" the flag, nor do I understand why you think that "as a veteran" you're somehow more knowledgeable on the subject. Where is the book on flag rules, who wrote it, and why should we follow it?
I actually agree that the flag usage has gotten out of hand, but probably not for the same reason you do.
In any case, I find it hard to believe that the flag is going to feel disrespected because an athlete who is proud of his heritage, and proud of being the best in the world, runs around a track waving it and/or having it touch their shoulders. The flag is probably happy to be a part of all of this.
