Skaters dissed on Joan of Arcadia | Golden Skate

Skaters dissed on Joan of Arcadia

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Do you guys watch Joan of Arcadia? It is my favorite TV show this season (not counting the one-time Andy Griffith Mayberry retrospective this week, LOL).

So this story is about a girl who talks to God, like Joan of Arc, only He doesn't tell her to conquer France. God appears in the form of various people and tells Joan to do various strange things. Naturally, just like in real life, Joan gets in a lot of trouble trying to understand God's Plan and obey His Commandments, but it all works out in the end.

Anyway, last night Joan's father, the chief of police, needed a metaphor for fluffhead, so he said, "That's like asking a figure skater about the state of the economy."

There were two more referrence to the quote during the show, like Joan's brother said, hey, Dad, why the crack about figure skaters?

I am going to write to CBS and protest. I will mention:

Olympic Champion Sarah Hughes, Yale undergraduate.

U.S./World Champion and Olympic medalist Debi Thomas, Stanford graduate and orthopaedic surgeon.

U.S., World and Olympic Champion Tenley Albright, M.D.

U.S, World and two-time Olympic Champion Dick Button, Harvard Law School graduate.

U.S. Champion and Olympic medalist Paul Wylie, Harvard graduate.

I am going to tell CBS that the only way the millions of U.S. Figure skating fans will forgive them is if they invite Sarah Hughes to make a guest appearance on the show. This will fit in perfectly, because one of the story lines is about Joan's friend who wants to quit school to become a full-time artist, so Sarah could show him that he can be an artist and a scholar at the same time, or something like that.

Who else should I put on my list of famous skaters who have excelled acedemically and in the professions?

Mathman
 

Piel

On Edge
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Gwedell P.......(sorry Grgranny, I can't spell it) that won an OGM at SLC. Doesn't he have a few university degrees? Also, aren't Matt Savoi and Amber Corwin university students too?
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
yes they are

as is MK, Timmy Goebel(though both have put them on hold...)


I haven't seen it... but the actor who plays Joan's brother in the wheelchair is John Ritter's eldest(?) son... I thought that was neat
 

skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
So...my choice of footwear and the fact that I can doa single flip on a good day now makes me stupid? Ok...so I dont have a collage degree (but thats pretty darn rare for 15 year olds...so you cant hold it against me)...but I do go to a good school and I do understand econ...
 

skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
I would mention Henie on your list. you have to understand marketibility to do what she did...thats for sure. I mean...who cares about collage? thats not always the best measure of how smart people are.
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I'm with you, Mathman.........you tell them....let's start a petition!!!!......................42
 

Lanie

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Petition! I agree! As a skater and a high school student who's studying econ on the academic decathalon team... :)
 

SugarCoated

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 15, 2003
i agree with the petition! There are certain sports/activities that people usually seem to attack on their intelligence level like cheerleading but ice skating? im offended lol.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Go, Lanie! (That's my niece's name, BTW. Except its really Noelani, which means "heavenly mist" in Hawaiian.)

Instead of a petition, we can each do this (I already did). Go to

http://www.cbs.com/

Click on "feedback" down at the very bottom of the page. Check "complaint" and under "Choose a CBS category," go "Joan of Arcadia." Then type whatever you want into the dialogue box.

I assume that a short message is just as effective as a long one, and more likely actually to be read. I think they do, however, at least count how many people complain about various things. I wouldn't be surprized if this show gets complaints about the theology that it is presenting, treating a serious subject (the relation between us and God) in a light-hearted manner. (Personally, I think that God would approve -- I don't see any lightning bolts hurlting down on the set.))

I decided not to send my list of all the skaters who had distinguished themselves academically, because it would make the email too long. But I did suggest that they make ammends to us by having a skater come on in a guest appearance. Actually, I think that CBS might pay attention because I assume, due to the nature of the show, that there is a pretty good demographic match between figure skating fans and people who watch this show.

Mathman:)
 

Dee4707

Ice Is Slippery - Alexie Yagudin
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Country
United-States
Derrick Delmore is a college graduate and I think Jeff Buttle is going to school.

Dee
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Mathman:

Karen Magnussen, World Champion (1973) and Olympic Silver Medalist (1972) - attended Simon Fraser University while still in training.

You give them whatfor!
 

KwanFan1212

Joey Votto Fangirl
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 24, 2003
Matt Savoie received his degree from Bradley University last year. There sure are quite a few skaters who have college degrees and I think that statement was quite a rude remark for that show. I am surprised by it actually. I didn't think that this was that type of show to put down someone (or many someones in this case) so I am really shocked by this. I enjoy that show very much but I missed this past week's show. I think I will need to send a brief message to CBS now. :eek:
 

Figureskates

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Gee, I am an adult figure skater with graduate degrees.

I didn't know that every time I put on my skates my IQ was going to drop a point!!

Obviously the remark was written by some screen writer who really doesn't have a clue about figure skaters. Talk about fluffhead.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
It could also be that they're trying to show the person in a different light... who knows they may come up with a topic on homosexuality(which is basically another off subject on skating) and the dad will have a huge problem and Joan has to save him (if that happens I think that's where the real "problem" will arise with the show... then again with churchs today who knows)

Like I said I haven't seen the show... and I don't think God actually comes down so much as His messengers do... but it's a different way of looking at things... It's hollywood so ultimately it's going to have some serious doctrinal issues... so I take it with a grain of salt... I'm just into that sort of TV (give me CSI with it's blood and guts and gorey stuff! LOL) so I don't really watch it(I'm not a big TV person anyway)
 

Skate Sandee

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
You guys are making way too much out of a simple comment. The whole line was stupid. But insert anything (cheerleader, toll collector, aviator, swimmer, mailman, etc) as a non-economics expert, and it is just as unfair. A brain surgeon is no more able to discuss economics than a figure skater. All these posts about skaters who have degrees is hysterical! Since when does having a college degree equate to an understaning of the economy? I know people with doctorate degrees who can not tell you anything about economic affairs. And I can show you an people who never got beyond highschool that are far more versed because they avidly read newspapers and follow the news.

It's one thing to disagree with a comment. But to write off a show because of that one random comment is just silly! If you like the show, then who cares?

I mean no disrespect to those of you that were offended. I just personally would rather devote my e-mail efforts to my local legislators on laws that can affect change.
 

KwanFan1212

Joey Votto Fangirl
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 24, 2003
Oh, I am not writing off the show completely but I do feel like giving feedback can be very valuable, if they pay attention to it. I enjoy the show a great deal but I don't appreciate the comment and no matter how they would have termed it, I think it would have bothered me anyway because it insinuates that a particular group of people are stupid (forget that it was figure skaters and insert any other group and it still does the same basic thing). That's what I don't like but I am not writing off the show at all. If I wrote off all shows for making a comment that I didn't agree with, then I would probably watch a lot less TV!! LOL :laugh:
 

Kasey

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Weren't Kwan and Hughes both near straight-A students through school also?

Tonia Kwiatkowski, university grad.

Alexei Yagudin, university grad.

I'm thinking Ryan Jahnke too...


Kasey
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Oh, come on Sandy, where's your sense of whimsy?

But if you must get serious, here's something that I think really does merit rebuttal. On the same episode the priest with whom Joan's mother is carrying on a flirtatious relationship was asked "would God ever tell you to do something wrong?" with the follow-up question: "Well, what about the Inquisition?"

The priest shrugged it off with, "That was a failure of imagination."

No, Father, that was the work of the Devil. In the Inquisition the Church authorities undertook to weed out and expose "heretics," by which they meant secret Jews. They set children to spy on their playmates to see if any were circumcised. If a person was openly Jewish, and had lived as a practicing Jew all of his life, then they just confiscated everything he owned and kicked him out of the country.

But if you were accused of being a secret Jew, then you were tortured until you confessed, after which you were killed, all you property was confiscated, and your family was expelled from the country.

I hope I am not giving the impression that I don't like this show, LOL. I do. It is my favorite show of the season. It raises questions about faith in a manner that is not too oppressively ponderous. I hope that young people will be inspired to discuss these questions with their parents.

I hope they have Michelle on as a guest star!

Mathman
 

Lotta

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Come ON, people! It's just a comment. A one line SMALL diss to skaters on the show. Leave it alone and get on with life. Maybe they just picked figure skaters for the sake of PICKING something. Just leave it be.
 
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