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Liberals wanted U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps to give up the honor of carrying the American flag and leading his country’s athletes at the opening ceremony for the Rio Olympic games Friday night.
He’s the wrong color and the wrong sex.
Leading the pack of naysayers was W. Kamau Bell, host of CNN’s “United Shades of America.” In a CNN op-ed, he described the swimming sensation as a “tall, successful, rich white guy” who clearly didn’t “need the honor.”
“With 22 Olympic medals, you are already the most decorated athlete in Olympic history,” he said.
But American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is a different story.
“Muhammad carrying the flag would be much bigger than your one moment,” Bell writes. “It would be a symbol for our country in this moment when we are mostly known for one of the most contentious, controversial, scandal-ridden, hateful, xenophobic, jingoistic, and just generally unlikable presidential elections in recent memory. This is at a time when we could use some more symbols of unity and togetherness.”
Bell referred to Muhammad as “a one-stop inclusion shop due to her race, sex and religion. Phelps, on the other hand was something else entirely.
“No offense, but right now America has enough tall, successful, rich white guys hogging the spotlight trying to make America great,” he said, in an obvious reference to Donald Trump.
Read more: CNN host says Michael Phelps shouldn’t carry US flag, but a ‘Muslim’ should . . . Americans are furious | BizPac Review
He’s the wrong color and the wrong sex.
Leading the pack of naysayers was W. Kamau Bell, host of CNN’s “United Shades of America.” In a CNN op-ed, he described the swimming sensation as a “tall, successful, rich white guy” who clearly didn’t “need the honor.”
“With 22 Olympic medals, you are already the most decorated athlete in Olympic history,” he said.
But American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is a different story.
“Muhammad carrying the flag would be much bigger than your one moment,” Bell writes. “It would be a symbol for our country in this moment when we are mostly known for one of the most contentious, controversial, scandal-ridden, hateful, xenophobic, jingoistic, and just generally unlikable presidential elections in recent memory. This is at a time when we could use some more symbols of unity and togetherness.”
Bell referred to Muhammad as “a one-stop inclusion shop due to her race, sex and religion. Phelps, on the other hand was something else entirely.
“No offense, but right now America has enough tall, successful, rich white guys hogging the spotlight trying to make America great,” he said, in an obvious reference to Donald Trump.
Read more: CNN host says Michael Phelps shouldn’t carry US flag, but a ‘Muslim’ should . . . Americans are furious | BizPac Review