“A disgrace to the Olympic Swimming team.” This is how Australian Gun control spokesman John Crook described the behavior of Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk.
The two photographed themselves posing in a US gun store holding shotguns and handguns and uploaded the photo to Facebook. Of course Crook’s opinion is not far off the stance of the rest of Australias mainstream media, some even calling for the dismissal of the two from the London Olympics altogether.
The pair will be sent home in shame after their sporting commitments, and denied the chance to enjoy the Olympics to the extent they otherwise would.
Their past behavioral problems have since come into the media spotlight, and these “foolish and clearly inappropriate photos” as Australian Olympic team chef de mission Nick Green has wisely stated, have put the pair on thin ice.
Of course Nick Green failed to mention the entire Olympic swim team’s excursion to a gun range a few years ago as a team bonding exercise.
D’Arcy and Monk have since apologised for any offence caused. But why should they?
Was it their friends on Facebook where the photos were uploaded who were offended? Was it was the citizens of the country they represent who were offended? Or was it the young children aspiring to be Olympians themselves who have been offended?
Most will argue the latter, though I challenge anyone to show the photo to their child and see if they even recognise the pair.
No it must be the rest of us, adults, and citizens of the country that are offended by the pair’s lack of respect of our country’s proud Olympic traditions. In that case I wonder what would be said if D’Arcy and Monk were instead members of the shooting team.
Green went on to add “We say again to our athletes, do not put anything up on social media that you would not share with your mother or your grandmother.” Of course, it must be D’Arcy’s grandmother who was offended.
The pair have trained their whole life to become Olympians, and had the experience cut short because some people have decided that holding guns in a legal gun shop is immoral. The ones who should be offended are our American neighbours, who would hardly approve of the swimmers being reprimanded for engaging in part of the US’s proud culture and tradition.
The people who are condemning the pair should be ashamed. The photo was uploaded for the viewing of their friends, it was the media who stole the image and then told the rest of Australia how offensive it is.
If you are offended by this photo take a step back, and go and find something worth complaining about.
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