# Bronze medal Athlete fidgets and fusses during national anthem **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** olympic-sports-track\ **Created:** [June 28, 2021, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174 "2021-06-28T12:04:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/61 "2021-06-29T16:06:04Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’d strip her of the medal and leave her home for the Olympics. Or perhaps she should just drop out on her own accord. This way she will have more time to be an ‘activist.’ She can do her ‘Hey Hey, Ho Ho’ and ‘Say their name’ crap without having to worry about athletics. Well, she could of course pursue the latter course of action, but _she_ presumably believes she can accomplish more as an activist who continues to compete. What do _you_ think would be accomplished by the course of action you’d mentioned in that first sentence, there? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/62 "2021-06-29T16:12:05Z")
This is what happens when patriotism isn’t taught in P.E. Why are athletes required to be nationalistic shills? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/63 "2021-06-29T16:15:27Z")
This is what happens when people in this country don’t know what “patriotism” is, other than the blind worship of a piece of cloth and the unquestioning obedience to the desires of the willfully ignorant and scoundrels. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/64 "2021-06-29T16:17:58Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > the blind worship of a piece of cloth Hey, don’t forget the respect demanded of the music. Do you know how many soldiers died so that patriots can demand people stand at attention during a song? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/65 "2021-06-29T16:22:45Z")
Oh, yeah. Thank you for reminding me that a dashed off, war-mongering poem set to an old drinking song should demand rigid attention from everyone (unless I’m in line for a beer, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/66 "2021-06-29T16:23:09Z")
Just has the UPS guy come by. He had the local AM talk radio on. They were talking about this. I didn’t listen long, but I heard the word “brat” used at least 3 times. Certainly is the word of choice for the offenderati on the right about this. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/67 "2021-06-29T16:26:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This is what happens when people in this country don’t know what “patriotism” is, other than the blind worship of a piece of cloth and the unquestioning obedience to the desires of the willfully ignorant and scoundrels. Clearly she doesn’t respect freedom since she won’t comply with rigid uniformity of thought and deed. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/68 "2021-06-29T16:47:18Z")
Indeed. It is only through unquestioning obedience that we can ever be free. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/69 "2021-06-29T16:49:38Z")
Not acting like a brat isn’t exactly demanding obedience. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/70 "2021-06-29T16:52:28Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > This is what happens when people in this country don’t know what “patriotism” is, other than the blind worship of a piece of cloth and the unquestioning obedience to the desires of the willfully ignorant and scoundrels. > > Clearly she doesn’t respect freedom since she won’t comply with rigid uniformity of thought and deed. Indeed. The only way we can beat back authoritarianism is if we all submit unquestioningly to required nationalistic rituals! ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/71 "2021-06-29T16:59:20Z")
I see you and OP both like the term “brat” without any actual support for your usage of the word. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/72 "2021-06-29T17:04:47Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Not acting like a brat isn’t exactly demanding obedience. So are you okay with her protesting, just not in the manner in which she did so? Maybe she should have just bowed her head? Or perhaps raised a fist, like Carlos and Smith? Maybe taken a knee, like Kaepernick? Or all of those bratty behaviors as well? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/73 "2021-06-29T17:05:00Z")
A brat is a badly behaved child, throwing a temper tantrum on the medal stand definitely qualifies as brattish behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/74 "2021-06-29T17:07:49Z")
So was Rosa Parks “throwing a temper tantrum” when she refused to give up her bus seat for a white rider? I don’t see anything childlike or akin to a “temper tantrum” in this woman’s behavior, just a lot of angry boomers triggered by a woman of color expressing herself politically–in her capacity as a private citizen as is her innate right as an American. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/75 "2021-06-29T17:19:48Z")
Is it possible to both not know who this woman is and not care what she did on the podium while also thinking that her opinion that the anthem being played directly as a shot at her is likely wrong? Or do I need to be outraged at her behavior and/or outraged at the outrage? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/76 "2021-06-29T17:21:03Z")
“Brat” is clearly being used in an attempt to infantilize Miss Berry. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/77 "2021-06-29T17:24:23Z")
I think it’s entirely possible the anthem being played was a mess up in the control room or whatever. I don’t think there’s any clear evidence of why it was played when she was on the podium. It also was played out in the stadium, not the room where they were taking the podium pictures. That being said, I guess she is well known in the community (which I don’t follow this sport, so had never heard of her before this) as being a political activist. It was also known in advance that there was zero expectation that the anthem would be playing when/if she ended up on the podium, so in the moment, I can see her being a little suspicious of why they deviated from the daily schedule of playing the anthem and just so happened to do so at the same time she was on the podium. Does that mean she was right and it was done to target her? No, it doesn’t. But it’s not a totally crazy thought, either. AFAIK it seems like the other people in the room, even though the anthem was being played outside, took the “attention” stance out of respect for the anthem. In that context, her choosing to turn her back to the flag makes sense, there was a specific political display going on, that she did not want to participate in. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/78 "2021-06-29T17:24:41Z")
How vain do you have to be to think the playing of the national anthem is a passive aggressive attack on you, and you weren’t even the winner? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/79 "2021-06-29T17:28:26Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > throwing a temper tantrum on the medal stand definitely qualifies as brattish behavior. So raising a fist, or kneeling, or turning her back would be acceptable behavior? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174/80 "2021-06-29T17:30:06Z")
Vain enough to accept a request for a TV interview about your activism, I suppose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronze-medal-athlete-fidgets-and-fusses-during-national-anthem/945174.md?page=5)