Althouse: If the Olympics are "soft porn" and you are "concentrating" on the female gymnasts....

August 10, 2008

If the Olympics are "soft porn" and you are "concentrating" on the female gymnasts....

... didn't you just confess to pedophilia?

42 comments:

Jennifer said...: Well, I didn't hear him specify female gymnasts. But, if so, then yes. Not only are they crazy young, but they really look like little girls.

What a gross man. Freeman Hunt would have a fit about this - boiling yet something else down to nothing more than a sexual metaphor.; 8/10/08, 10:37 AM
Ann Althouse said...: He says "I will be concentrating on beach volleyball, girls' gymnastics..."; 8/10/08, 10:42 AM
Jennifer said...: Oh, I missed the "girls" between volleyball and gymnastics. Well, then yes. Gross.; 8/10/08, 10:44 AM
Synova said...: Interesting comment about rings and parallel bars. I don't know that the uneven bars would hinder someone who's strength was strength, though. The issue there might be height.; 8/10/08, 10:51 AM
The Drill SGT said...: LOL,

I watched men's Beach Volleyball yesterday, and think that 2 on 2 volleyball is a sport. Also watched mens cycling, and coed swimming. but I grew up in California with those sports.

Does that make me gay? They are good athletes (men and women) and some compete into their middle 30's

I don't think there are any pre-pubescent girls playing beach volleyball in these games.; 8/10/08, 10:51 AM
rhhardin said...: You're allowed to notice tits at any age. Vollyball is a safe context-setting reference to tits so that gymnasts can safely be mentioned.

Bernard McGuirk on Imus, long ago, mentioned crotch in some gymnast context, was (fake) scolded for it by Imus, and retorted ``Sure, you're not supposed to notice that,'' which was a comment about a rule of discourse.

In the matter of Olympics, Imus on Michelle Kwan transcript was amusing, in a who-watches-this-crap sort of way.

That was the days before audio capture.

Imus on men's figure skating real audio.

Olympic athletes as sex workers is brilliant and very funny. I didn't know he meant to restrict it to girls. I'd let it take them all in, in a reference to the various sorts of porn that TV always is.

It needs an audience by any means.

My recommendation is toss the TV (better late than never) and get a radio.; 8/10/08, 10:54 AM
KCFleming said...: Men look at pretty young things?
Quel horreur.
I am shocked shocked that guys watch women's sports for anything other than straight-ahead competition.

But gymnasts??
Eccchhh.
Female castrati, all sinew and muscle and eating disorder, lacking any percentage of body fat, looking simultaneously non-adult and non-childlike.
Like lusting after a bungie cord.; 8/10/08, 11:16 AM
XWL said...: The 'girls' competing in women's gynmastics are all supposed to be past their 16th birthday to be Olympics eligible.

Hard to believe when you see them, especially the Chinese team (and there are rumors about some of them being younger, especially He)

(speaking of He, it's almost like an Abbott and Costello routine reading an article about He, they should probably refer to her by her last name to avoid confusion)

Does that change the viewing of these women as sex objects? Not really, since many of them don't look older than twelve.

But, maybe it's about thoughts of what they'll be like after they stop training themselves to olympian heights, and actually let their bodies have a curve or two (yet maintaining that flexibility).

As far as volleyball players go, beach volleyball players don't tend to be the 'hotter' of the two between beach and indoor. So they're not in bikinis, use a little imagination, dude.

But back to pedophilia, given that the competitors they're speaking of lusting over are at least 16, I think ephebophilia is more accurate to describe their desire (though it's very borderline given the appearance of the women who compete at the highest level of artistic gymnastics, but rythmic gymnasts on the other hand, go ahead lust away, they usually at least look womanly).

Legally and culturally I think a certain degree of ephebophilia is accepted in most cultures, and certainly historically (and possibly it's embedded in our genes for males to seek and desire the youngest, fittest, yet already reproductively mature woman, we can find).

These dudes, still pigs, though.; 8/10/08, 11:41 AM
AllenS said...: I don't follow women's sports at all, but if Maria Sharapova shows up, I'm all eyes.; 8/10/08, 12:05 PM
Trooper York said...: I don't know about this, but I bet RH Hardin wears out his cockfighting tapes. Just sayn'; 8/10/08, 12:15 PM
Bissage said...: In the interest of science, I turned on the TV and watched a routine on the balance beam so I could make a contemporaneous audiotape of the verbal expressions of my inner-thought process.

Here is the transcription:

Wow! . . . Omigod! . . . Woah! . . . Omigod! . . . Wow! . . . Did you see that? . . . OH NO!!! . . . phew, I thought she was gonna break her neck. . . . Woah! . . . Shit, that'll cost her points . . . Wow! . . . How the hell . . . I can’t look! . . . What the, the? . . . Holy cow! . . . Ouch, that’s gotta hurt . . . God, they must train, like, . . . huh? . . . You know, I wonder who pays for . . . Will ya look at that! . . . what? . . . Wow! . . . FANTASTIC!!! . . . OUTSTANDING!!!

Articulate? Not so much.

Pedophilic? I sure hope not.; 8/10/08, 12:22 PM
Anonymous said...: Jennifer said...Well, I didn't hear him specify female gymnasts. But, if so, then yes. Not only are they crazy young, but they really look like little girls.

Alicia Sacramone will be 21 in December. I'll ogle and google her as much as I damn well please.; 8/10/08, 12:31 PM
Meade said...: "I'll ogle and google her as much as I damn well please."

Sure, Mr. Ripper, whatever you say.

But you're still a dirty old man.; 8/10/08, 12:49 PM
Adrian said...: how can he concentrate on the athletes with all those asian schoolgirls around?; 8/10/08, 12:54 PM
Titus Blue Stars said...: Men's gymastics makes me horny.

Also, men's swimming but I don't like the new suits.

Michael Phelps needs to sit on my face.; 8/10/08, 12:55 PM
Titus Blue Stars said...: I love it when the men's gymnasts take off their shirts.; 8/10/08, 12:56 PM
Kev said...: (speaking of He, it's almost like an Abbott and Costello routine reading an article about He, they should probably refer to her by her last name to avoid confusion)

You mean her first name, don't you? In China (and many other Eastern cultures), last names come first.; 8/10/08, 1:01 PM
vbspurs said...: You're allowed to notice tits at any age. Vollyball is a safe context-setting reference to tits so that gymnasts can safely be mentioned.

I challenge anyone to find boobs on any female athlete in the Olympics.

They are ALL flat as ironing boards.

Cheers,
Victoria; 8/10/08, 1:07 PM
rhhardin said...: I don't know about this, but I bet RH Hardin wears out his cockfighting tapes.

They do try to kill one another out there. Two seem to hang together without much fighting, but the larger of those regularly chases the third around the yard at a very brisk walk.

Occasionally those two show up with bloody feathers.

Yet, unlike territorial birds, they don't seek out separate territories as a result. They're also a herd animal, I guess.

Eight roosters equals one rooster, as to the plan for the day.

Roosters have room not only for only a single idea at a time, but for only a single idea among the bunch of them.

No bloody feathers for a month or so now.; 8/10/08, 1:08 PM
vbspurs said...: OT:

Anyone been keeping track of the Obama/McCain campaign ads during the Olympics?

So far, that I've seen here in SoFla on NBC Channel 6:

9 McCain
1 Obama

Wow.; 8/10/08, 1:15 PM
Meade said...: Don't you think Robert Lipsyte is being completely sarcastic in that clip? I do. I think he's mocking those who really do get off on watching athletes as sex workers.; 8/10/08, 1:17 PM
Trooper York said...: The announcer for the woman’s weightlifting needs to get a little sleep. He just said “Here’s Lyudmila Vasakova of the Ukraine, wait to you get a look at her snatch.”; 8/10/08, 1:19 PM
rhhardin said...: Sports fans without TVs can come over and watch me scythe the front yard.

Using the tricky 28" blade today.

Wearing tee shirt and shorts, the Greek ideal for scything.; 8/10/08, 1:23 PM
Meade said...: Thanks for the invite, RH. Sunday afternoons are when I wash my hair and reorganize my sock drawers.

But depending on just how short those short short shorts are, I know Titusblueshorts is a big sports fan and he might be free to watch you swing your... scythe... this afternoon. You are 18 or older, right?; 8/10/08, 1:36 PM
bearbee said...: How's my scthying; 8/10/08, 1:53 PM
save_the_rustbelt said...: Am I the only person who thinks these Olympics are unbearably boring?

Any man who gets off on the underweight female gymnasts needs to really get a life,and stay away from day care centers.

And what is with the sport that looks like a combination of dodge ball and soccer. What the hell is that?

Beach volleyball is at least grown ups, but at my age I can't watch too long, the heart attack danger increases dramatically.

Best Olympic moment, the US beach volleyball player sticks her butt toward Bush and asks him for the traditional pat for good luck, and he kinda pats her back - no leader of the free world should refuse a good luck pat, huh?; 8/10/08, 2:10 PM
vbspurs said...: Am I the only person who thinks these Olympics are unbearably boring?

You're not, but I am not one of them. I love the Olympics, even if I know they're all juiced to the gills.

And speaking of gills, NBC are really trying to big up Michael Phelps, AND his mum but you can tell their heart is just not in it.

It would be SOOO much better if he were a minority from depressing Baltimore, with a single-mom who worked at Home Depot to pay for her son's lessons, like Freddy Adu.

Then they've would dumped Matt Lauer, and hired Chris Matthews so he could shout "THIS IS SO INSPIRING!!" every time he drew breath.; 8/10/08, 2:16 PM
vbspurs said...: Why can't guys just do like our President, seen here practically eye-porking Jennie Finch?; 8/10/08, 3:08 PM
LoafingOaf said...: I guess it kinda depends on which female gymnasts he's into. Some look a lot more like little kids than others. I'm not sure I'd raise an eyebrow every time a man confesses attraction to some Romanian gymnast, but the way this guy talks about sounds like a dirty old man.

I haven't fixated on any female athletes so far this Games, but there's always a few who catch my eye. Where's the Amanda Beard of these Games?? The Danish handball team usually has some cuties, so I'll try and catch them.

The Olympians who really turned me on the most were the female snowboarders last Winter Games!!! They are quite different from female gymnasts. They actually are having a ball!

I cannot get into beach volleyball for more than 10 minutes. NBC is committed to shoving Misty May down our throats for yet another Games. Sorry, beach volleyball is one of those sports that's much more fun to play than to watch.; 8/10/08, 3:40 PM
LoafingOaf said...: Am I the only person who thinks these Olympics are unbearably boring?

You gotta let it build! There's gonna be some good dramas and excitement before it's all done. And some nuttiness and controversy too!

I thought the opening ceremony(though a bit long in the march of nations part) was very well done! I know Americans are all supposed to say we aren't watching the Games, and couldn't care less, and China can go eff themselves. I think a lot of people pretend they dislike the Games more than they do!! At the very least, it's nice to have something to flip to there's nothing else on.

I get very into the swimming, but I guess that's because I swam in school.; 8/10/08, 3:50 PM
blake said...: Well, since they're all pubescent, or post-pubescent, then it's not so much pedophilia as, uh, statutory eye rape.

Speaking of "Am I the only one who...?", am I the only one who really doesn't see the sex in the competitions at all? Maybe it's the dedicated intensity to the sport (rather than to sex) that does it.

Afterwards, when you see them in normal clothes, and out of sports-mode, sure, and the Olympic village is legendary for sexual antics amongst the athletes who are done competing.

But at the time?

The only time I can recall seeing something really sexy at an Olympics was when Katarina Witt skated the last time.

She had no chance to win, which gave her a chance to do something other than completely dedicate herself to triple lutzes and salchows and all that.

I dunno, maybe I am the only one....; 8/10/08, 4:31 PM
Titus Blue Stars said...: I like the entirely shaved, sculpted, defined, muscular, hard bodies of the male swimmers.

Is there wresting in summer Olympics? I could get into that also.

I am so pissed with the new mens swimsuits. That is just so unfair. I want them shirtless now.

The French men's swimmers are hot-nice ink.; 8/10/08, 4:47 PM
knox said...: Then they've would dumped Matt Lauer, and hired Chris Matthews so he could shout "THIS IS SO INSPIRING!!" every time he drew breath.

ugh, I can hear it now.; 8/10/08, 5:32 PM
Cedarford said...: rustbelt - "Best Olympic moment, the US beach volleyball player sticks her butt toward Bush and asks him for the traditional pat for good luck, and he kinda pats her back - no leader of the free world should refuse a good luck pat, huh?"

Yeah, except it was Kerri Walsh, who has limitless long legs and manages to compete in a bikini bottom that manages to cover less than 40% of her exceptional ass. Which means that for Dubya, what would have been a backslap height for a orginary woman appears headed in the NBC photo for dead cheek center on Walsh.
Bush, the ex-pilot, managed a stressfull mid-course flght correction that elevated his hand at the last moment and got it on her back.

===================
Gymnasts and other female athletes that seek to keep weight low and curves suppressed to help out their strength-weight ration don't look sexy to me, but the camera can do a lot with their young, ripped bodies - especially between competitions or in athletic retirement as they let their curves come back.

Many female athletes have posed nude, inc gymnasts like Svetalana Khourkina, Djuteda Rutushka. Some even have gone on to become "Flexi-girl" hardcore models.; 8/10/08, 5:39 PM
rhhardin said...: Oh! Just remembered. Don't miss Imus's coverage of Women's Curling.

real audio, nine clips.; 8/10/08, 5:41 PM
Anonymous said...: As soon as I saw the girls gymnasts last night I was appalled at the fetish-like costumes. Who's idea was that? If they weren't already sex objects, what a way to guarantee they are now!; 8/11/08, 11:47 AM
amba said...: jdripper just made "google" into a sexual word. When you think about it, it really fits. "Can I google your tits?" What does that sound like it means?

And is that "j, de ripper" or "j dripper"?; 8/13/08, 5:18 PM
amba said...: I really love the way the softball players look. Does that make me gay?; 8/13/08, 5:24 PM
amba said...: As soon as I saw the girls gymnasts last night I was appalled at the fetish-like costumes. And did you notice the SS-like lightning bolt design on the German men's team?? Yeesh.; 8/13/08, 5:27 PM
Jennifer said...: Amba - I have a t-shirt that says "YouTube MySpace and I'll Google your Yahoo." Geez that sounds horrible. I only wear it to sleep and it was a "gift" from the hubbin.; 8/13/08, 7:27 PM
PANNELLI said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 12/15/08, 2:51 PM
blake said...: Hey, somebody made a Trooper York-based AI....; 12/15/08, 2:56 PM

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