An opinion writer for FOX news writes, "One USOC official this week expressed pride about taking the most diverse U.S. squad ever to the Winter Olympics. That was followed by a frankly embarrassing laundry list of how many African-Americans, Asians and openly gay athletes are on this year’s U.S. team." Not that I think diversity is a bad thing, but shouldn't Olympians be chosen on the basis of innate skill and talent rather than because of the thinking that everyone deserves a chance, and besides, white people suck?
One answer comes from Jason Thompson, the USOC’s director of diversity and inclusion who is upset that this year's team is still overwhelmingly white. In a Washington Post interview he bemoaned the fact that, “We’re not quite where we want to be. I think full-on inclusion has always been a priority of Team USA. I think everybody’s always felt it should represent every American.”
Okay then, if we're going for "full-on inclusion," so be it! Following are several groups of Americans blatantly missing from this year's games, and if you ask me it's downright insulting to millions of Americans, like these:
The Obese: The vast majority of American adults are overweight or obese, and weight is a growing problem among our children. (Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation)
Drug Addicts: Approximately 21.5 million Americans battled substance abuse in 2014, and it's gotten far worse since then. (National Survey on Drug Use and Health)
The Homeless: Nearly 554,000 Americans were homeless as of January 2017, with more reaching that status daily. (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
Old People: More than 15% of America's population is over 65. (U.S. Census Bureau)
The Clumsy: No statistics available but stop by any dance club and see for yourself.
I for one look forward to the day when we have an Olympic team that really represents every American, including the fat, drooling, glassy-eyed, malnourished, unclean and destitute klutzes we see on our streets every day. That would surely make us proud.
One answer comes from Jason Thompson, the USOC’s director of diversity and inclusion who is upset that this year's team is still overwhelmingly white. In a Washington Post interview he bemoaned the fact that, “We’re not quite where we want to be. I think full-on inclusion has always been a priority of Team USA. I think everybody’s always felt it should represent every American.”
Okay then, if we're going for "full-on inclusion," so be it! Following are several groups of Americans blatantly missing from this year's games, and if you ask me it's downright insulting to millions of Americans, like these:
The Obese: The vast majority of American adults are overweight or obese, and weight is a growing problem among our children. (Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation)
Drug Addicts: Approximately 21.5 million Americans battled substance abuse in 2014, and it's gotten far worse since then. (National Survey on Drug Use and Health)
The Homeless: Nearly 554,000 Americans were homeless as of January 2017, with more reaching that status daily. (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
Old People: More than 15% of America's population is over 65. (U.S. Census Bureau)
The Clumsy: No statistics available but stop by any dance club and see for yourself.
I for one look forward to the day when we have an Olympic team that really represents every American, including the fat, drooling, glassy-eyed, malnourished, unclean and destitute klutzes we see on our streets every day. That would surely make us proud.
