Yesterday (8-18-16), I read the following piece from The Ringer regarding U.S. Swimmer Ryan Lochte’s apparent lies about what happened last Sunday evening in Rio: https://theringer.com/ryan-lochte-rio-olympics-controversy-4a4f757bf4fd#.nayoyzhd2. Then I began reading comments from readers, and I was really stunned at how casual (mostly “bro” types) were about what had transpired, or how some offered up false equivalencies as if to draw a lighter perspective. The following, found in the Comments section of the article, is my response to them, and my feelings about Mr. Lochte’s actions:
Are we so in a bubble as to feel untouchable from the disapproval of other nations?
Yes, Louisiana flooding gives us perspective, but that’s internal struggle (and climate change… and levees, etc). Here, it’s international embarrassment conducted by members of a country that can really afford it the least — U(.)S(.). — if we are to maintain any international moral high ground/standing and be that “shining city on a hill.”
Regardless of the full truth at this point, it’s clear that Ryan “Dumber than a box of rocks” Lochte, and his cohorts, have brought embarrassment on our country by not only speaking some false versions of the truth, but also by doing it with a megaphone and not a whisper. He could have handled this quietly, shown some maturity and personal responsibility (isn’t that what it’s all about with some of you — “personal responsibility?”) but instead, he did worse in doing just the opposite oh, and ABANDONING his brethren to fly home like a coward.
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