Mexican-American olympian displays Mexican flag after winning medal

@Mac-7 and @RichT2705

Basically from what I gather, there is absolutely nothing wrong with displaying other flags except that you would simply prefer that wouldn't happen.

- It's not illegal.
- It's not against the Olympic spirit.
- It isn't unethical.
- It does not cause harm to anyone.
- It does not infringe on others' freedoms.

+ It annoys some.
+ It shows that no nationalistic identity can ever completely supersede cultural heritage (i.e. Mitt Romney mentioning about his European heritage as swipe to Obama)
+ It shows that Americans are tolerant and multicultural.
+ It shows that America is a free nation (i.e. Imagine an Iraqi athlete holding up the Iranian flag for instance).

Too much energy being put debating a matter that can simply be classed as a human form of expression. I'm sure not even a single person is advocating fascism in this thread, so why all the heavy collusion? Debate for debates sake?

 

If the former illegal allen who we allowed to escape from that hell hole south of the border is free to fly the
Mexican flag if he wants to then we are free to call him an ungrateful wetback and suggest he should go back to Mexico.

Am I correct?

 

I'm sure he did it just to annoy the loonies. Mission accomplished.

 

No you're not, you're making stuff up, as usual.

No, not any argument. Just one, the logical and rational one.

You would, if this issue was really about disrespecting and embarrassing the nation. But I knew from the beginning that it wasn't.

I have never bashed America and I'm not "on the far side of the pond." I've lived in America as a citizen since I was three. I pay my taxes and I do my civic duty.

 

It's the actions of an ingrate. You want to display a Mexican flag in addition to your American flag in your home or on your car? Great.
On the world stage of the Olympics it's a dismissive act towards America and it's about as classy as taking wedding photos kissing your wife...AND your ex girl friend.

Not a huge issue but definitely a matter of respect which we don't have in America, where millions of illegals remain completely unassimilated
and in this country only to milk it for all they can get from it. Go back to your beloved Mexico.

 

He's a legal citizen and nobody else in the world cares.

 

@Mac-7
So by your own admission the only reason you're upset is because he used to be an illegal alien. Following on from that, you think that displaying the Mexican flag would be perfectly fine if he was never formerly illegal right?

@Yosh Shmenge
On what grounds are you unhappy... on the grounds that it was disrespectful? Your hyper sensitivity is a bigger issue than the athlete who contributed a silver medal, dressed in American overalls, proudly displayed the United States flag over his head.

General
Nevertheless I'm not totally dismissive or oblivious to the situation. I do realize why the emotions would run high if he was only carrying a Mexican flag; or had he thrown the US flag on the floor; or had he stepped on the US flag which was on the floor; or had he wrapped the Mexican flag on himself in such a way where there would be no way to see "U.S.A" on his uniform; or had he neatly placed the Mexican flag on the floor and bowed to it before kissing it. All of those things can be seen as taunting maneuvers.

In the meantime I will try to remember Americans with the notion I had before coming into this thread, which is that Americans are high on the list of the most cosmopolitan, multicultural, welcoming and tolerant people in the world.

 

What you see displayed in this thread is not representative of a majority of Americans. You're witnessing the death throes of a former elite subset of America, terrified at the prospect of losing its power and being brought down to equal footing with the rest of their countrymen.

 

Not at issue so what's the point?

Your post makes number 306 on this issue. If no one cares, why has this thread gone on so long? You deserve the wagging NO head for that .

 

My point is you were talking about millions of illegals being unassimilated in reference to this guy. If he's not illegal, then your comment was irrelevant.

Context. I was talking about the rest of the world, aka countries that are not the U.S.

 

If you read my comment carefully, which you obviously didn't, my comment was about America in general and the attitudes of unassimilated immigrants here (legal or not).
Yes, millions of illegals personify that attitude. No, you don't have to be an illegal yourself to remain unassimilated.

So what are you advocating? That we should only care about what the rest of the world thinks is proper? What country does that? What sort of person thinks this is a proper standard?

 

No. Did you read what I posted? For Manzano to have embarrassed America, the rest of the world would have to care. If they don't care or see it as an embarrassment, it can't really be considered embarrassing. Like flashing people in a nudist colony.

 

Intersting but I never claimed that America was embarassed by this guy Manzano. Only that he seems like an ingrate and he seems to forget which country he lives in and is running for. It's a real lack of respect that he exhibits at a very unfortunate time.

 

That's not a very nice thing to say.

 

Well, all of that is ridiculous.

 

Oh.... Okay. Thanks for your well reasoned response.

Perhaps you never noticed but the Olympics are set up as national competitions between nations. Therefore, as a competitor, you represent your country as well as yourself. This guy, whatever his name is, is representing the USA (the nation that is making it possible for him to compete in the Olympics) and not Mexico. To co-acknowledge Mexico along with the nation that you, presumably, owe your presence in the Olympics to is
a stab in the back, to me.
As I've said, it isn't the biggest issue in the world but it is wrong to have Mexico steal some of America's glory. If this guy wants to honor Mexico let him do it away from the games.

 

You are confused.

He is clearly wiping sweat off the back of his head with an American Towel as he prominately displays the Mexican flag in his other hand.

He speaks Mexican, lives in North Mexico... The whole "other country" thing is a technicality to him. Where there are millions of Mexicans, there is Mexico. In his heart. In his mind. In his hand, indeed.

 

Great we can now have a country twice as big as present Mexico, but with same crime, corruption, inefficiency, injustice, and poverty.

 

I hope you aren't resorting to that old liberal excuse that only people who hate immigrants would criticize them for any reason.

Because I'm sure this guy isn't the only immigrant representing the US in the Olympics.

But he is the only one making a fool of himself with an inappropriate display of divided loyalty in front of the whole world and that offends many Americans.

The Mexican is an ungrateful dope who does not understand how lucky he is to live in America instead of Mexico.

There is no reason to love a country with so little to offer that its residents swim a river and hike through a dangerous desert to reach America.

 

Your thought process makes no sense.

If this Mexican ass-wipe is so proud of Mexico I have to question his intelligence.

Because Mexico never did anything for him.

As for you, I really don't care what your opinion of Americans are.

I don't know what insignificant country you live in but it is of no interest to most Americans.

 

One problem with just throwing open our doors to anyone who wants to come here is that we end up with too many citizens who are still foreigners in their heart and do not understand this country or love it as much as a native born person does.

 

If you truly love this country, you would protect the athletes right to free speech no matter what the cost. But you truly do not love this country. YOu want others who are different than you to bow to your whimisical nuances and idealogical ideas while discounting all others that are different from your own.

the athlete in question was doing two things: displaying his pride for his nationality and displying his pride for his ethnicity. That says more about how more American the athlete is than you will ever be Mac.

 

How about my right to free speech?

This guy is proud of a country that he would not return to except at the point of a gun.

Which tells me that not only is he ungrateful but he's stupid too.

 

I would protect your right to free speech with just as much vigor as I would with the olympic athlete. His accomplishments, both personal and athletic, shows just how American he is. but it is sad you will never see his American dream based on pure ignorance and stupidity.