Calling someone out for homophobic acts is not bullying.
I will cite an example to be clear, as discussed in his video, giving someone the "gay son" or "thot daughter" question is insensitive and homophobic (it's inferred these are both undesirable options).
Do you realize how soft you sound right now?
It is insane how much things have changed in our society, in such a short period of time
Okay okay okay simmer down simmer down. I personally don’t check let’s run all that often and don’t have an account. I also have work, a life, and running that I have to attend to besides this. Ben Crawford isnt behind anything I’ve said or done. Period.
what was camp?
it originally was 10(5 boys, 5 girls) of some of the fastest kids in country, who were invited out to join. Then there were 10(5 boys, 5 girls) creatives that had to apply. 2 of the rising star girls(the fast runners) had to drop out because one got sick and the other is racing in Argentina. That’s leaving 8 girls total. thats why Littlefield joined the rising stars for the photos, so it could look even. 4 creatives, 4 rising stars.
It was set so we could actually get to know the people that we’d hopefully be working with as we got older. Having actual runners as your model is really good practice. We had a media car at every workout. We had time set apart to work on creative stuff and the runners got to learn about NIL and other things of that nature. Personally I learned a lot and got a lot out of having both the media and rising stars together.
no one wants to say anything because honestly it’s at a point where no matter what is said, everyone is getting dragged. I don’t defend or stand with new gen. No one is telling me what to say or do. I also don’t stand with Emma and this storyline people are trying to make out of our camp, because it was genuinely a really nice experience for everyone involved. Everything should’ve been handled a lot better on all fronts.
Don't try to appease the mob of idiots. It doesn't matter you say, the witch-burners will be angry no matter what because they just want a reason to pull others down and make themselves feel better. In less than a week, everybody will go back to not caring and the mob will find something else to be outraged at.
Day 3 of Emma Gee still posting stories about this, trying to further build the drama up.
I’m getting genuinely concerned about Gee’s mental health if she feels bullying high schoolers is the best use of her free time, and a good brand to build. Maybe this is why sponsors are avoiding her like the plague.
Okay okay okay simmer down simmer down. I personally don’t check let’s run all that often and don’t have an account. I also have work, a life, and running that I have to attend to besides this. Ben Crawford isnt behind anything I’ve said or done. Period.
what was camp?
it originally was 10(5 boys, 5 girls) of some of the fastest kids in country, who were invited out to join. Then there were 10(5 boys, 5 girls) creatives that had to apply. 2 of the rising star girls(the fast runners) had to drop out because one got sick and the other is racing in Argentina. That’s leaving 8 girls total. thats why Littlefield joined the rising stars for the photos, so it could look even. 4 creatives, 4 rising stars.
It was set so we could actually get to know the people that we’d hopefully be working with as we got older. Having actual runners as your model is really good practice. We had a media car at every workout. We had time set apart to work on creative stuff and the runners got to learn about NIL and other things of that nature. Personally I learned a lot and got a lot out of having both the media and rising stars together.
no one wants to say anything because honestly it’s at a point where no matter what is said, everyone is getting dragged. I don’t defend or stand with new gen. No one is telling me what to say or do. I also don’t stand with Emma and this storyline people are trying to make out of our camp, because it was genuinely a really nice experience for everyone involved. Everything should’ve been handled a lot better on all fronts.
People expect high schoolers to be naive and make mistakes. People understand you aren't best friends with Ben Crawford. Genuinely it would have been so easy for the kids to distance themselves from this.
But i'm guessing "delete the photos and stay silent and it will all go away" is another brilliant branding strategy you learned at camp.
Day 3 of Emma Gee still posting stories about this, trying to further build the drama up.
I’m getting genuinely concerned about Gee’s mental health if she feels bullying high schoolers is the best use of her free time, and a good brand to build. Maybe this is why sponsors are avoiding her like the plague.
bullying high schoolers? Literally every comment in her story is about Ben Crawford and Matt Wisner except for the one post about Ryder Lee doubling down because he clearly doesn't get it.
no one wants to say anything because honestly it’s at a point where no matter what is said, everyone is getting dragged. I don’t defend or stand with new gen. No one is telling me what to say or do. I also don’t stand with Emma and this storyline people are trying to make out of our camp, because it was genuinely a really nice experience for everyone involved. Everything should’ve been handled a lot better on all fronts.
I'm glad that to hear from someone who actually seems to have been at the camp. Thanks for sharing your experience. If you don't mind, could you give your input on some of the actual concerns brought up in this thread?
1. Do you really think people involved would get dragged if they sincerely said something like, "We didn't mean for the photos to be perceived that way, and we're sorry for portraying something that doesn't represent who we are or our vision for running. We're young people trying to learn to be creative, and sometimes we're going to miss the mark. Hopefully we can learn from this situation." Personally, I think if someone from the photoshoot (and especially Ben or Matt, as it's way more their responsibility as adults to respond to this sort of thing) had said something similar, especially earlier on before things blew up, there wouldn't be nearly so much hoopla about any of this. Sometimes people are reasonable and speaking sincerely actually works! You may not get edgy/cool points for doing so, though.
2. What was the actual intent behind the photoshoot? I know the New Gen "apology" said they were deriving inspiration from old teen movies, but why did they zero-in on the bullying in those movies for their project? Were there actually any conversations about what they were trying to portray aside from "we think this would be funny?" If not, it doesn't actually sound like the campers were learning as much about content creation as they could have.
3. Was this actually run as a real camp in terms of things like safety and liability? Did parents have to submit any common forms with things like lists of medications their kids take and photocopies of their health insurance cards, in case someone got hurt or sick at camp and needed to go to the hospital? Did counselors get background checks done before camp?
Well, they call themselves New Gen but not much has changed really. They're attempting to satirize "Y2K" bullying as if they're above it all (physically forcing someone into a demeaning position) but then take part in online bullying right away. They're just bros v.11.0.
I think this has become bigger than the camp itself. Based on the previous YouTube videos and maybe a comment on podcast here or there, a lot of people were side-eyeing New Gen prior to this incident.
It only took one person speaking up for the castle to completely crumble which means it’s been building.
Glad you had fun I guess . I’d say they should include a lesson on handling criticism next year but
this is a selective running camp… kids are given invites to attend?? How long is the camp?? These kids are all in HS- so who is running this camp? Who is in charge of these minors when they attend camp? Do their parents know about these pictures? Have any of the actual kids or their parents made statements?
and what is new gen even??? How did it get its status as an elite running camp?
Okay okay okay simmer down simmer down. I personally don’t check let’s run all that often and don’t have an account. I also have work, a life, and running that I have to attend to besides this. Ben Crawford isnt behind anything I’ve said or done. Period.
what was camp?
it originally was 10(5 boys, 5 girls) of some of the fastest kids in country, who were invited out to join. Then there were 10(5 boys, 5 girls) creatives that had to apply. 2 of the rising star girls(the fast runners) had to drop out because one got sick and the other is racing in Argentina. That’s leaving 8 girls total. thats why Littlefield joined the rising stars for the photos, so it could look even. 4 creatives, 4 rising stars.
It was set so we could actually get to know the people that we’d hopefully be working with as we got older. Having actual runners as your model is really good practice. We had a media car at every workout. We had time set apart to work on creative stuff and the runners got to learn about NIL and other things of that nature. Personally I learned a lot and got a lot out of having both the media and rising stars together.
no one wants to say anything because honestly it’s at a point where no matter what is said, everyone is getting dragged. I don’t defend or stand with new gen. No one is telling me what to say or do. I also don’t stand with Emma and this storyline people are trying to make out of our camp, because it was genuinely a really nice experience for everyone involved. Everything should’ve been handled a lot better on all fronts.
Don't try to appease the mob of idiots. It doesn't matter you say, the witch-burners will be angry no matter what because they just want a reason to pull others down and make themselves feel better. In less than a week, everybody will go back to not caring and the mob will find something else to be outraged at.
no one wants to say anything because honestly it’s at a point where no matter what is said, everyone is getting dragged. I don’t defend or stand with new gen. No one is telling me what to say or do. I also don’t stand with Emma and this storyline people are trying to make out of our camp, because it was genuinely a really nice experience for everyone involved. Everything should’ve been handled a lot better on all fronts.
I'm glad that to hear from someone who actually seems to have been at the camp. Thanks for sharing your experience. If you don't mind, could you give your input on some of the actual concerns brought up in this thread?
1. Do you really think people involved would get dragged if they sincerely said something like, "We didn't mean for the photos to be perceived that way, and we're sorry for portraying something that doesn't represent who we are or our vision for running. We're young people trying to learn to be creative, and sometimes we're going to miss the mark. Hopefully we can learn from this situation." Personally, I think if someone from the photoshoot (and especially Ben or Matt, as it's way more their responsibility as adults to respond to this sort of thing) had said something similar, especially earlier on before things blew up, there wouldn't be nearly so much hoopla about any of this. Sometimes people are reasonable and speaking sincerely actually works! You may not get edgy/cool points for doing so, though.
2. What was the actual intent behind the photoshoot? I know the New Gen "apology" said they were deriving inspiration from old teen movies, but why did they zero-in on the bullying in those movies for their project? Were there actually any conversations about what they were trying to portray aside from "we think this would be funny?" If not, it doesn't actually sound like the campers were learning as much about content creation as they could have.
3. Was this actually run as a real camp in terms of things like safety and liability? Did parents have to submit any common forms with things like lists of medications their kids take and photocopies of their health insurance cards, in case someone got hurt or sick at camp and needed to go to the hospital? Did counselors get background checks done before camp?
Thanks for you insight.
Something tells me you won’t be getting any answers to these reasonable questions, particularly #3
I’m sure the only reason parents are cool with sending their kids to this is because it has a massive partner, On Running. My guess is they pitched it to them as an On Camp with some added content stuff
The alternative is asking mom and dad to fly cross country for a week to be supervised by a 25 year old who makes a living asking young girls if they’d rather have a gay son or thot daughter
Some of the burner account comments have been pretty horrific. NG's "apology" and subsequent removal was also incredibly tone-deaf. Very poor social media management at best, especially for a group trying to teach marketing / brand-building / social media growth skills.
The tone of the photos was objectively problematic. It's one thing to have the photographer post them, but for the NG page itself to promote them was really weird. This is a sport that's rife with issues relating to inappropriate relationships between authority figures and young female athletes. In just the last few years, we've had the Huntington situation, Mary Cain and Kara Goucher's exposé on Salazar, a scattering of (young, male) collegiate coaches fired for inappropriate relationships with their athletes, and a handful of similar (albeit lower profile) incidents.
Looking back on my own high school track experience from a decade ago, it's easy to pinpoint things that just feel...icky in retrospect. I'd imagine there are plenty of other posters in here who can recount stories of age 20-something assistant coaches / track photographers / etc. whose relationships with teenage athletes toed the line of what could be considered appropriate.
Any running-related brand -- especially one centering around high school and collegiate athletics -- should be aware of these things and take them into consideration when choosing what sort of content to publicize. When a company's organizing activities for minors, there needs to be a degree of responsible adult oversight going into everything -- and it's not at all clear whether such a thing exists at NG.
For the sake of the athletes, I hope everything's able to get sorted out and all of the really shocking rumors floating around end up being baseless. From what I've seen in the insta posts / reading through this thread, if I had a teenage daughter I would absolutely not want her attending events associated with NG.
A girl counselor also has taken pictures in a hot tub with a camper from last year. Who knows the nature of their relationship, but it does seem like lines are crossed in terms of age differential and their inside joking. Just seems like a mess.