Quizzes & Puzzles0 min ago
Lance Armstrong
I've only seen bits of the interview, but it was disappointing. There seemed to be no genuine remorse. It looked like a shallow and self serving PR exercise. What do others think?
Answers
Interested to know if any of you are Pro-Cycling fans?? I've followed procycling for over 30 years and what Armstrong did is the greatest sporting scandal there's ever been, not primarily for the doping bad enough as that is but for the way he conducted himself over the years. He cheated, bullied, vilified and criminalised numerous individuals who were part...
12:30 Sun 20th Jan 2013
I didn't see it; but it can be difficult to evaluate other people's emotions. A classic case was the dingo baby trial when the jury seemed to think that because the mother spoke calmly and didn't behave the way tabloid papers think a grieving mother should - weeping, wailing and tearing hair - she must have killed the baby herself; and she was duly convicted of murder. She was subsequently cleared, on the basis of all sorts of evidence.
Personally, I think Armstrong is guilty as charged; but I don't think how he "behaves" on the Oprah show would prove anything either way, at least to me.
Personally, I think Armstrong is guilty as charged; but I don't think how he "behaves" on the Oprah show would prove anything either way, at least to me.
I don't think everyone's "known"; they may have thought so, but others have thought not, and he's had a reasonably persuasive defence that he's been tested every inch of the way, and passed. That defence seems now to have been blown out of the water after an unprecedentedly thorough investigation, but the matter still hasn't been tested in court.
could be, but if you were expecting something less glib, are you saying he should be a better actor? Being a better actor would probably have saved Lindy Chamberlain a lot of grief too. But it seems a separate matter to me from the rights and wrongs of the case. I'm prepared to condemn him sight unseen, having read the outcome of the inquiry.
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// could be, but if you were expecting something less glib, are you saying he should be a better actor? Being a better actor would probably have saved Lindy Chamberlain a lot of grief too //
I'm not really interested in his acting skills. What I'm saying is this ..
// it was disappointing. There seemed to be no genuine remorse. It looked like a shallow and self serving PR exercise. // and also..
// There's nothing left to prove one way or the other. Everyone's known he's guilty as charged for ages. It's the nature of long awaited admission that was disappointing. //
Your comment about Lindy Chamberlain is a bit dubious and you may want to remove it. It insinuates she was acting but not very well, and that's what got her into trouble. In fact she was innocent of any crime and never acting at any point.
I'm not really interested in his acting skills. What I'm saying is this ..
// it was disappointing. There seemed to be no genuine remorse. It looked like a shallow and self serving PR exercise. // and also..
// There's nothing left to prove one way or the other. Everyone's known he's guilty as charged for ages. It's the nature of long awaited admission that was disappointing. //
Your comment about Lindy Chamberlain is a bit dubious and you may want to remove it. It insinuates she was acting but not very well, and that's what got her into trouble. In fact she was innocent of any crime and never acting at any point.
correct, ummmm. If Lindy Chamberlain had showed some fake emotion, instead of behaving in a way entirely natural to her, she might have convinced the jury of her (genuine) innocence. If Armstrong had been able to fake remorse better, he might have convinced people he too was being traduced.
But a scenario where you have to fake the sort of response an audience wants leaves me uneasy.
But a scenario where you have to fake the sort of response an audience wants leaves me uneasy.
Interested to know if any of you are Pro-Cycling fans??
I've followed procycling for over 30 years and what Armstrong did is the greatest sporting scandal there's ever been, not primarily for the doping bad enough as that is but for the way he conducted himself over the years. He cheated, bullied, vilified and criminalised numerous individuals who were part of his entourage for many years. He ensured that numerous individuals were removed from cycling because they had challenged his authority in the peloton. He almost certainly ensured that past riders in his teams were caught and banned for doping offences after they left his team. He was responsible for fraudulent use of US Government money, drug trafficing, bribes, extorsion and fraudulent use of charity donations.
He did all this while hiding behind a brand and his Livestrong charity. Whatever he did was fine because as the "Cancer Jesus" he could do no wrong he was the new messiah but as we've seen it was all a big lie and what we've seen is the tip of a huge iceberg.
This "confession" was to the masses of people who still believe in him, to the cult of St Lance and he chose Oprah because it would be a soft ball interview and he could give away a softball confession.
The why is simple; Money and the vast proprotion of his $120 million fortune he is about to lose. He has to answer to a Whistleblower case or the US Postal money ( http:// www.cyc lingnew s.com/n ews/arm strongs -confes sion-co uld-lea d-to-do llar-10 0-milli on-whis tleblow er-laws uit) his offer to pay back $5million has already been rejected, $12million to SCA Promotions an insurance company that backed him to win the tours and paid out big ( http:// www.bbc .co.uk/ sport/0 /cyclin g/21102 475), The Sunday Times for around $1.2 Million (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jan/18/sunday-times-lance-armstrong-confession-helps-case). The soft soap confession ion Oprah is a way to start breaking these things down, he can start to bargain with these groups and the many other individuals who are about to launch cases against him.
During the interview he showed contition and remorse only twice, when he talked of the loss of $75 million in earnings potential as his sponsor walked away and when he tried to conjure up some tears talking about his son, Luke's reaction to it all.
On the sporting side many of us who have watched the sport knew he was doping before the cancer and had that confirmed on the 1999 Tour De France when he climed mountains like a goat.
Everything he's ever done has been a lie and from the feted superstar he just another irrelevant liar. That's what hurts him most the fact he's no longer the star, I hope he rots.
I've followed procycling for over 30 years and what Armstrong did is the greatest sporting scandal there's ever been, not primarily for the doping bad enough as that is but for the way he conducted himself over the years. He cheated, bullied, vilified and criminalised numerous individuals who were part of his entourage for many years. He ensured that numerous individuals were removed from cycling because they had challenged his authority in the peloton. He almost certainly ensured that past riders in his teams were caught and banned for doping offences after they left his team. He was responsible for fraudulent use of US Government money, drug trafficing, bribes, extorsion and fraudulent use of charity donations.
He did all this while hiding behind a brand and his Livestrong charity. Whatever he did was fine because as the "Cancer Jesus" he could do no wrong he was the new messiah but as we've seen it was all a big lie and what we've seen is the tip of a huge iceberg.
This "confession" was to the masses of people who still believe in him, to the cult of St Lance and he chose Oprah because it would be a soft ball interview and he could give away a softball confession.
The why is simple; Money and the vast proprotion of his $120 million fortune he is about to lose. He has to answer to a Whistleblower case or the US Postal money ( http://
During the interview he showed contition and remorse only twice, when he talked of the loss of $75 million in earnings potential as his sponsor walked away and when he tried to conjure up some tears talking about his son, Luke's reaction to it all.
On the sporting side many of us who have watched the sport knew he was doping before the cancer and had that confirmed on the 1999 Tour De France when he climed mountains like a goat.
Everything he's ever done has been a lie and from the feted superstar he just another irrelevant liar. That's what hurts him most the fact he's no longer the star, I hope he rots.
Still don't see a comparison.
Lindy Chamberlain may well have become emotionally detached as a result of the traumatic circumstances of losing her child, sub consciously blocking it out in order to spare herself further grief.
To compare her to the most narcissistic sportsman who ever lived and shed a few crocodile tears which fooled no one seems a bit off the mark, that's all.
Yes Slapshot, been a fan for sometime. Finally getting to see the Tour later this year, the stage finishing in Gap. Can't wait!
Lindy Chamberlain may well have become emotionally detached as a result of the traumatic circumstances of losing her child, sub consciously blocking it out in order to spare herself further grief.
To compare her to the most narcissistic sportsman who ever lived and shed a few crocodile tears which fooled no one seems a bit off the mark, that's all.
Yes Slapshot, been a fan for sometime. Finally getting to see the Tour later this year, the stage finishing in Gap. Can't wait!