The Russian figure skater who lit the cauldron at the opening ceremonies of the Sochi Games last week was also outed as the tweeter of a racist picture of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, dating back to last fall.
At first bust, Irina Rodnina, a three-time Olympic figure skating gold medalist, took great pride in her ignorant bigotry – sounding Palinesque with her pugnacious confidence. But suddenly today, she blamed hackers. She’s no longer a proud bigot, y’all.
My account was hacked and I should have shown better judgement in my initial response and handling of the event. (2/2)
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— Irina Rodnina (@IRodnina) February 10, 2014
I respect the Obama family and apologize for not clearly stating earlier that I don't support the tweeted photo or racism in any form. (1/2)
— Irina Rodnina (@IRodnina) February 10, 2014
Flashback per the Guardian to when she originally tweeted the picture out in September of 2013, when she was so proud of using American “free speech” (tea party style — that means, free speech for me, none for thee) and blamed the “liberal media” (aka, anyone with any class at all) for making a big deal out of her ignorance:
Rodnina insisted that there was nothing wrong with the photograph, and said she had been sent it by friends in America. “Freedom of speech is freedom of speech, and you should answer for your own hang-ups,” she wrote.
Rodnina, who lived in the US for many years, deleted the photograph but has not apologised and remains unfazed by accusations of racism. Instead, she suggested that the wave of criticism she prompted from liberal journalists and other Russians was a conspiracy.
She implied on Twitter that the criticism was a campaign ordered by opposition politician Alexei Navalny. “Are there still some of you who haven’t had their say on Daddy Navalny’s orders?”
Irina is the Russian Sarah Palin, ever the victim. Last fall it was the liberal media’s fault that she made a fool of herself and now it’s the fault of hackers.
Last fall she was proud of her free speech but now suddenly she claims she never tweeted that image. Irina doesn’t appear to have learned anything from the outraged aimed at her, other than new ways to fantasize about being persecuted and how to deepen her already troubling paranoia/conspiracy beliefs. The appropriate response would be to take responsibility for your bad judgment, apologize, and share that you don’t want to be a party to perpetrating negative and stupid stereotypes because you have an ounce of self respect.
A quote per the Guardian that seems most fitting, “A spokesperson for the US embassy quoted Thomas Jefferson in response to the tweet: ‘Bigotry is the disease of ignorance.'”
Yes, yes it is. If your biggest criticism of this President is that he is black and you think it’s hysterical to tweet pictures of him and his wife looking at a photo-shopped banana because bananas – apes – black skin HAR HAR (but you don’t believe in evolution either — so troubling), you are not making them look bad. You are making a fool of yourself.
So Irina was “hacked” by someone even more ignorant? Do tell.
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