In case you missed it, Olympic gold medalist and all-around amazing athlete Simone Biles withdrew from competition in the women's team gymnastics event, citing stress and her own mental health as the reason. After an uncharacteristic mistake on vault, she decided to withdraw before she cost the team their standing in subsequent rounds. It was a brave thing to do.
Of course that means wingers were going to go on the attack, which they did. Apparently talking points were distributed instructing them to call her names and paint her as some kind of selfish witch. Here is a winger blog in Wisconsin calling her selfish (no link, just a screenshot):
And in the video at the top, we have Charlie Kirk turning up the hate a few notches, calling her a "selfish sociopath" and a "shame to the country" before he lays down his final judgment.
"We are raising a generation of weak people like Simone Biles," he declares, as if he has the first damn clue what he is talking about.
My thoughts on this are pretty straightforward: Keep her name out of your dirty racist sexist mouth, Charlie Kirk. And f**k right off while you're at it.
Twitter had thoughts too:
Yes, I want to turn to this guy to weigh in on world-class athletes dealing with unbelievable pressure and mental strainhttps://t.co/4OTZVpaXlc
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) July 27, 2021
He's in a commercial selling snake oil because his weak back hurts him. pic.twitter.com/2CHXTrxw0A
— Joyous Panther (@JoyousPanther) July 27, 2021
What did Simone say that triggered this man? He is so desperate to call her the n-word.
— Cheetos con Jumex (@NeoFuentesRageX) July 27, 2021
I’ll remind people:
The stressors Biles is managing go beyond just those associated with athletic performance.
She is the last survivor on the team of the sexual abuse by Larry Nassar.
She remained on the team in part to help force accountability.https://t.co/hQXOuTzwn5— Leah McElrath 🏳️🌈 (@leahmcelrath) July 27, 2021
I knew this kind of rhetoric was coming, and it’s why I said it initially and why I’ll say it again:
I stand in solidarity with Simone Biles.
(And this is undiluted projection from Charlie Kirk who is a pathetic toxic man-baby.) https://t.co/6WVPpHJEqf— Leah McElrath 🏳️🌈 (@leahmcelrath) July 27, 2021
Charlie Kirk's Olympic sport is being stupid & crooked & obnoxiously wrong, and he doesn't let *anything* stop him from practicing it. https://t.co/s5uNun61uu
— Tom Hilton (@TVHilton) July 27, 2021
@charliekirk11, who is a paid liar calls #SimoneBiles the GOAT of gymnastics, weak. The MAGA Garbage continues to soil itself. https://t.co/w0nSVS8kK9
— JohnAmato (@JohnAmato) July 27, 2021
Simone Biles was brave to make the choice to withdraw rather than ruin things for the whole team. She has looked shaky and stressed throughout this competition. Choosing to withdraw gave her team the best chance to win a medal. That's not selfish; it's smart, something Charlie Kirk isn't.
UPDATE: One more
The number of men running a "well if I didn't show up to my job" argument about Simone Biles is just embarrassing.
If you were as good at your job as Simone Biles is at gymnastics, people wouldn't be at all fazed by your taking a day when you need to either.
But you're not.— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) July 27, 2021
