Shame-lympics

For this week, I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon and follow what’s going on in the world of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. However, my topic-of-discussion isn’t really something to be prideful about; rather, I’m a bit embarrassed, both for the person I’m about to mention and for our country.

Upon searching the internet, I found an article dedicated to the 22 year-old U.S. Olympian, Scotty Lago. Unfortunately, this article wasn’t congratulating him on his victorious run down the halfpipe during a men’s snowboarding event this past week. The article was, however, discussing some raunchy photos of him, his bronze medal, and a lady friend that recently mainstreamed via the internet. In the photos that surfaced, Lago can be seen with a big grin on his face as his shirt is lifted up, his medal precisely placed around his waist, in front of his groin while a young woman is bent down in front of his crotch kissing the prized possession. In another picture, the snowboarder has the medal lifted up by his chest (shirt down this time – congrats Scotty) while the same young woman is nibbling on the bronze plate. This probably doesn’t look so good, eh Scotty?

This is a young man who, regrettably, held the responsibility (of which he clearly could not handle) of setting an example to those individuals who look up to him and aspire to be like him. For adolescents and pre-adolescents, these pictures are sending the message that if you’re famous you can do whatever you want, including mimicking oral sex in public, in front of countless people and the bright lights of the flashing cameras. Furthermore, he was setting an example of the United States in front of the entire world. I mean, what are people going to think of our country after seeing and hearing about this? This man is explicitly advertising sex with a young woman on the wide-open streets of Vancouver Canada at the Olympics and is justifying it with his bronze-medal status! Those who do not or cannot understand the culture of our country and comprehend the sexual freeness of our society might react in cynicism and stereotypical behavior towards the U.S. In doing so, some individuals might put a label on all Americans and think that we are irresponsible, childish, and coitus-obsessed citizens who constantly promote sex. Thanks for the burden, Scotty. You might have received a bronze medal for your snowboarding abilities, but you received a gold medal in stupidity.