Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Krimson X
Keep on track with the truth? How about lets keep it honest.
By using what appears to be quotes from JesseOwens himself, Eric was able to show (at least to me) the hypocracy in this whole Hitler/Owens olympics debate. We all know what Hitler was about, and did not expect much more from him. I'm sure Owens was pelted with racial epithets and the constant presence of swastikas at the Berlin games. However, after defeating Nazi Germany he returned home to the states where he was faced with the same racial epithets, discrimination, bigotry and the presumably the presence of the confederate flag. Owens is by far the most heralded olympic athlete of all time, an eternal bearer of the laurel wreath. He defined Achievement. He won four gold medals and was not invited to the White House to meet Presidents FDR or Truman along with the other USA olympic athletes???? He had to use the back door of the hotel to receive his recognition from the IOC??? Amazing?...not. Who was the real winner? Certainly not Owens by history's account.
|
The point of the debate was not to say that Owens received anything other than 4 gold medals. But his victory was seen as some sort of theological/political victory. Even though, as I stated in earlier post, both the US and Germany had similar ills and it was, although extremely significant, no such thing.
We are turning this into a debate about race and Oympics. We could do that! There is a long terrible US history about race and the Olympics. But that definitelty was not the debate in this particular thread....
From what I remember it was the political significances of Olympic boycotts, bans or other things such as that.
To that end, political statement have never acheived any tangible results even with respect to race! John Carlos and Tommy Smith were kicked off the team and sent home. Muhammed Ali (then Cassius Clay) was treated no better, upon return to Kentucky after winning his medal.. Although I believe if all the black atheletes had boycotted the US team, as they originally planned, that would have been a major statement. However the images of Carlos and Smith is burned in my memory... I'm old enough to remember seeing it on TV.
Still not the debate we are having. I don't think I, nor anyone else on this thread, indicated that wonderful things happened for Jesse, in particular. Because for all intent and purposes he was used by the US, just as Margret Lambert was by Hitler.