Foo - this is a perfect example of what's wrong with america

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10820499/

they hang on one word, pull it out of context, and subject him to a witchhunt. now, he's forced to pay lip service and say "sorry" for something he has abolutely no need to apologize for. what is the benefit? someone please tell me... :rolleyes:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10820499/

they hang on one word, pull it out of context, and subject him to a witchhunt. now, he's forced to pay lip service and say "sorry" for something he has abolutely no need to apologize for. what is the benefit? someone please tell me... :rolleyes:

I agree that he shouldn't have to apologize in the media. Maybe apologize to his mother. If she's still alive she's probably sitting there watching the interview saying, "Ohmygosh, he did not just say that." :rolleyes:

The media is too eager to make something an affront for ratings....I know it's how they operate but, still, there are things that just shouldn't equal the overreaction they afford.

I'm confused. Does he actually ski drunk, or is he a rebel without a point, or is that just something he says to get Olympic Officials all bent out of shape?

The media is too eager to make something an affront for ratings....I know it's how they operate but, still, there are things that just shouldn't equal the overreaction they afford.

yeah, this is the basis of the problem:

"The USSA was swamped with angry phone calls from team donors and corporate sponsors"

money dictates everything it seems. people bow to the almightly dollar just too much and the media is constantly trying to appease these people. it's like nobody can stand up and just be honest anymore without worry about financial backlash. i want to hear an interview and listen to what he has to say...not what his sponsers deem appropriate. oh well, wishful thinking i guess.

This is America, so he has the right to say whatever he wants. But in the same situation, if I said something that hit the papers and showed my employer in a bad light, I'd have to apologize also, (that is, if I wasn't fired, outright). Or I could refuse to apologize and risk losing my job.

Not sure I see the controversy here. He's being held to the same standards as most workers in this country.

money dictates everything it seems.
All too true, but frankly, at the end of the day, no organization (for profit, non-profit, or governmental) can continue with a negative cash flow. If an organization requires money from sponsors (corporate sponsors, venture capital, whatever) to get something done, it must expect that the sponsors require something from it in return. You don't get something for nothing. And as a result, those who fund the operation get to make the rules.

As for the media, well, sensational news gets viewers/listeners/readers. No one wants to hear about the routine and mundane, unless it happens to be the weather.

- there was a time, way back when, a professional journalist would have retorted to the original quip with:

"That's a great quote. Are you sure you want me to use it?" recognizing that the phrasing would be controversial and potentially damaging, not only to the individual, but to America's image...

- unfortunately, those days are over (witness 60 Minutes behavior in the recent past)...

- on the other hand, if Bode Miller is a fatuous braggadocio, it won't be the last time he steps on his crank... and then he will truly be "Hoist by one's own petard."

the thing is that he's never said drinking and skiing is a good idea. in fact, he's said it's a very bad idea - similar to drinking while driving. he has nothing to apologize for.

As for the media, well, sensational news gets viewers/listeners/readers.

What's sad is that they have to take what shouldn't be sensational and blow it out of proportion.

By the way, one of the things this shows is that if you're in the spotlight, you should analyze every word coming out of your mouth (or typed through your fingers) with extreme care. Even if you retract a statement, that statement is still out there.

When I type responses to potentially inflammatory complaints for the software company I consult for, more touchy situations call for (at my discretion) proofreading by an entire team of people. I'll note my concerns, discussing what causes concern, how I am (or am not) addressing those issues, what is being left unsaid (and the implications of not commenting), how various word choices could get twisted, etc. I also ask for the proofreaders to point out any other potential problems. And yes, it means taking several man hours (much of it by people making triple digit amounts per hour) to respond to something someone wrote in 10 seconds. But it also means protecting the company's image.

I agree, it is hard to ski when you're drunk. I've tried it and not too successfully.

From the title of the thread, I thought you were gonna post about how according to a Gallup poll, 50% of Americans interviewed thought it was OK for the Bush administration to eavesdrop on people's calls w/o obtaining a warrant. To me, that's much scarier than a drunk skier and the fact that it hardly got any coverage shows to whom their allegiance lays.

I agree, it is hard to ski when you're drunk. I've tried it and not too successfully.

From the title of the thread, I thought you were gonna post about how according to a Gallup poll, 50% of Americans interviewed thought it was OK for the Bush administration to eavesdrop on people's calls w/o obtaining a warrant. To me, that's much scarier than a drunk skier and the fact that it hardly got any coverage shows to whom their allegiance lays.

i agree with you - the gallup poll is much scarier. however, i'd better self censor myself before this gets moved to p&r. i'll just say that, in general, people are upset and offended at entirely the wrong things. a skiier who has alluded to the dangers of drunken skiing shouldn't have more coverage than the constant chipping away at our freedoms this admin is so set on doing. to say that priorities are mixed up is the understatement of the year.

I agree, it is hard to ski when you're drunk. I've tried it and not too successfully.

From the title of the thread, I thought you were gonna post about how according to a Gallup poll, 50% of Americans interviewed thought it was OK for the Bush administration to eavesdrop on people's calls w/o obtaining a warrant. To me, that's much scarier than a drunk skier and the fact that it hardly got any coverage shows to whom their allegiance lays.

I could not agree more. Many larger problems than what comes out of a skier's mouth.

It is Olympic time. The press is going to be all over any controversy they can get their hands on. I hardly think this qualifies as a problem with the US. Mainstream news is nothing more than a real-time soap opera.

BTW, I once went skiing while drunk. It was actually fun, as long as you're not too drunk.

Well, at least the current rating for the story is averaging 1.5 for 1140 viewers. At least people don't give half a damn.

He shouldn't be apologizing for talking about skiing drunk, he should apologize for being a crappy role model by actually doing it. I guess if people really want to argue about it, then I'll say half of the purpose of the olympics (other than national pride...wait, we are talking about an olympic skier, right?) is to be inspirational...which really takes us back to national pride. I believe there was a Kennedy and a certain singer/senator who once made the tragic mistake of marrying Cher who both died while skiing drunk in the same season.

Anyhow...woopti-freaking-do folks. If he wants to get himself killed during the Olympic slalom, it seems like a prudent thing for the selection committee to pull him from the team rather than the US be the nation remembered as the team sponsored by Bicardi.

Ski drunk on a closed course? No big problem.

Driving without a motorcycle license, crashing, and getting off scott-free because you're the governor. Then have the DMV defend him when they aren't even aware of their own motor vehicle code as it applies to motorcycles? Problem!

Sorry...guess what set me off today...

Last I heard, there was no law prohibiting skiing after consuming alcoholic beverages. Well, maybe in Vermont, the State of Confusion. The way I see it is, I'd have to be severely plowed to even consider getting on skis, so his comments are not offensive to me.

I love doing Alpe d' Huez wasted, signed Lance

I love quarterbacking on Sunday wasted, signed Brady

I love playing the Lakers wasted, signed Shaq

I hate being drunk, but getting a little buzzed is nice. Skiing a little buzzed sounds like fun, but drunk... not at all.

Well, at least the current rating for the story is averaging 1.5 for 1140 viewers. At least people don't give half a damn.

good. how'd you find that information, by the way? yesterday i saw the story on bbcnews, msnbc, cnn, abcnews, etc. then at 10pm it was on the local news as well. seems like everyone just cycles through the same news.

Skiing drtunk?? sheessh ish ok but watch out for thoosse tressss they move around a lot

I've noticed that too, timmhaan... particularly about the news in this country. The media tends to get hung up on some stupid gossip BS, twisting the story as they please and blowing it out of proportion while other news, especially world news is hardly ever mentioned.

Peregrine, I hope you don't mind my expanding on your comment. The recent tragedy in the West Virginia coal mine demonstrates how sad the state of our television news organizations has become. First CNN produces a story without verifying the souces, stating the miners where alive, then CNN states the error in reporting and has the audacity to blame the relatives of the victims for providing the errant information. ('We obtained this information from the families.') This was followed by the media 'evaluating' itself to see if they made any errors. My opinion of CNN's handling of this can be summed in one word, Despicable.
Somehow I can only take a news story about a skier who drinks as more news crap from people who need to regain our trust.
Sorry for ranting, but after the WV tragedy, I don't have a lot of faith in our news organizations, especially CNN.

I agree that the media is all about ratings. Sensationalizing the human foibles and defects of celebrities has always been grist for the mill. That is the reality. Bode should have known this and kept his own skeletons in his closet. His apology was a smart move.

It's all the way on the bottom where you can submit your vote for the rating. I voted 1 star.


good. how'd you find that information, by the way? yesterday i saw the story on bbcnews, msnbc, cnn, abcnews, etc. then at 10pm it was on the local news as well. seems like everyone just cycles through the same news.

CRUM, you make a good point. But who's holding the media accountable for their misdeeds?

CRUM, you make a good point. But who's holding the media accountable for their misdeeds? No one. And that is the problem. We buy into this. For the life of me I just do not get it.