Political Statements in Programs

[decker]

The only message I am getting from Board, is that I must learn to hate which I can not do Sorry.for not being more obliging to hate.

Henie did a lot for figure skating perhaps more than anyone else. That is my point.

Joe.

Politicial criticism does not equal hatred or denigration. It equals political criticism, a perfectly legitimate form of intellectual discourse.

Shostakovich is my favorite composer, and I think he made some political compromises that were less than admirable. (And I recognize that's easy for me to say since I didn't have to live in that time and place.)

As to the original question, I'm not all that fond of "statement" programs. No intellectually high-falutin' reason. Just my preference.

My dad is in the latter stages of Alzheimer's now, but he used to love to watch figure skating. At the end of a broadcast, no matter which great ladies skated, he would always say ... but NONE of them is Sonia!

Susan

 

[Mathman]

^ My heartfelt sympathies for your father's illness.

 

[blue dog]

^ My heartfelt sympathies for your father's illness.

Me too, Susan.

 

[Winnipeg]

I was unaware that Sonia was friendly with the Nazis. Posters have commented that this tarnished her image. Yet, I thought she had a very successful career in the USA following the war? In other words, her success belies the tarnished image thought.

Having said that, I can see why it would tarnish one's image of her...........Although it's tough to judge someone who is operating and trying to survive under such a horrible regime.

 

[dorispulaski]

My sympathies. My mother died of Alzheimer's. It is so difficult to watch someone you love fade away that way.

Back on topic, this 1981 program of Igor Bobrin's was viewed as 'political' at the time because of the church bell segment at the end where he skates a cross on the ice. It was very daring to see a Soviet skater do anything with Christian symbolism at the time.

Right now, though, I love the jumps in reverse directions! Go Igor! He won the bronze at age 27.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t7uJEGmiOo

BTW, I saw this program live. It was my favorite of the night.

 

[kyla2]

Joe

Trust me, I am not a hater either. Yes, Henie did alot for the sport. But people are the sum of their parts and I cannot separate out the artist from the rest of her, which I will not characterize out of respect for you. Let's leave it at this, she was not a card carrying member of the Nazi Party but she did not show her "better angels" during that rather horrible period in history.

 

[moviechick]

Quite a few older actors, directors and entertainers back in the day had bizarre politics by today's standards; some were actually straight-up racists (John Wayne anyone?). Let's put it this way-- if they produced good quality work, I would definitely give them full credit for that, but I would NOT put them on a list of "People I admire". On the other hand, for people like Gregory Peck, Paul Newman, Audrey Hepburn, etc. who did good work AND were great humanitarians, I would put them on a different level.

 

[ladybug]

I don't think skaters should send any kind of political messages in their programs. They should let that up to the television and movie actors and actresses. They have enough opinions for everyone.

Skating is a sport to be enjoyed by everyone. You don't see football, basketball or baseball players sending any kind of political messages during a game. What they do on their own time is their own business. jmo

 

[blue dog]

I didn't know T/D had originated Missing!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NJC_D8RLHQ

As for the original query--perhaps I haven't been around on Earth long enough (I certainly can't remember what Sonja Henie did the way Joe can), but I wish for my generation, that there was more political exposure to some of the members of said generation. I was wandering on campus today between final exams and some of the students there were confronted with booths set up on Library Walk (I attend UCSD) that talk about the war, among other things. One young couple said, "Oh? We thought the war was over..."

I know people in past generations must be tired of the mistakes our society keeps playing out in the history books, but I think (personally) we need more exposure to this...(politics) and less...to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7tleFb6TlI

I don't think skaters should send any kind of political messages in their programs. They should let that up to the television and movie actors and actresses. They have enough opinions for everyone.

Skating is a sport to be enjoyed by everyone. You don't see football, basketball or baseball players sending any kind of political messages during a game. What they do on their own time is their own business. jmo

I can also understand your POV, ladybug. Some people, skaters included, come to skating to get away from the world. Some want to be entertained, shown feats of athleticism and artistry, etc. And some just plain don't care about what goes on in the world, one way or the other. However, I think it would be more refreshing if they offered their own commentary on the world through their skating (ie--what Katarina Witt did in 1994) than just skate another Carmen, Tosca, Nutcracker, etc. And, as Mafke so humourously put it with his/her list of "topics" skaters can cover (though that list was just tongue in cheek, eh?), there are many more things to talk about in the world besides scorned lovers, a dying swan, etc.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Quite a few older actors, directors and entertainers back in the day had bizarre politics by today's standards; some were actually straight-up racists (John Wayne anyone?). Let's put it this way-- if they produced good quality work, I would definitely give them full credit for that, but I would NOT put them on a list of "People I admire". On the other hand, for people like Gregory Peck, Paul Newman, Audrey Hepburn, etc. who did good work AND were great humanitarians, I would put them on a different level.

Many of them were card carrying Communists, if not Pinkos (coloquial word in it's day). But their artistic side was another matter for me. I can separate them. Gene Kelly was a first rate dancer and some would call a Pinko. I see the difference between his dancin and his politics.

Joe

 

[blue dog]

Many of them were card carrying Communists, if not Pinkos (coloquial word in it's day). But their artistic side was another matter for me. I can separate them. Gene Kelly was a first rate dancer and some would call a Pinko. I see the difference between his dancin and his politics.

Joe

I think, however, that we've come to a place in time that people SHOULD be able to express their views on the ice. A communist should be able to express their views (I don't know how--they would have to be very creative) on the ice, because as a skater once put it, the ice is their canvas. It should be just as OK if a conservative skater took to the ice with "Proud to be an American..."

Sometimes we ALL need to see/hear things we're not comfortable with to move forward.

 

[dorispulaski]

well, one vehicle would be Chaplin's City Lights music. Perhaps interspersed with the Internationale.

Heck someone could skate to I Dreamt I saw Joe Hill Last Night.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

well, one vehicle would be Chaplin's City Lights music. Perhaps interspersed with the Internationale.

Heck someone could skate to I Dreamt I saw Joe Hill Last Night.

Doris, City Lights is ok but the music I believe came from Limelight which B&S used.

Joe

 

[Bennett]

However, I think it would be more refreshing if they offered their own commentary on the world through their skating (ie--what Katarina Witt did in 1994) than just skate another Carmen, Tosca, Nutcracker, etc.

I think it'd be really cool. But technically speaking, it also could be really demanding. In order to send your heart-felt messages, you have to be more mature and more emotionally and mentally engaged. But the primary purpose of competitions is to win the game. Katarina Witt did not care about winning when she did that.

On the other hand, it would perhaps depend on the degrees and the personal preferences. Some skaters like Jeff say that they do technically better when they are mentally and emotionally engaged in the artistic sides of performances. But others say that they are thinking of the next jumps when they are doing in-betweens. So I guess it depends.

To me, however, sending a political message and wanting to win are separate things and I wonder how they balance between them. I'd perhaps appreciate it if a political message is sent in a purer form separate from your ego to win. But again, this also depends on the attitude and the presentation of the statement. Some skaters may be so mature that they could balance all these different dimensions.