Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Armstrong Accusations Repulsive Not Because of the Accusations' Objectivity (Or Lack Thereof), But Because of the Accusers' Hypocrisy

In a New York Times article, Geoffrey Wheatcroft describes how "Armstrong's reign comes as French-American relations are at their sourest ever."
…there is an uglier manifestation of anti-American feeling: the hounding of Armstrong in the French press over accusations that he is involved in doping, and the repulsive sight of fans not only holding up signs of syringes as he passes but also spitting at him. This is repulsive not because of the objective weight of the accusations, but because of the hypocrisy: the French have been notably uncensorious about their own flawed idols. The same fans who jeer Armstrong cheered the stage victory of Richard Virenque, the villain of the 1998 doping scandal, which nearly ruined the Tour. 

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