Stirring news (good and bad)

On By EstherIn In the news, Music, Richard Armitage, Sports

My son is over the moon excited that his favourite basketball player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, won the NBA championships with his fave team, the Milwaukee Bucks. His instagram stories are filled with pictures celebrating that (I took screenshots)…

And also a little video of Giannis celebrating…

Junior has been walking around the house in his Giannis jersey, basking in the win even now, two days later. This is good excitement!

Less good is the news from a day or two ago that the Norwegian women’s beach handball team was fined for playing in shorts instead of bikini bottoms.

I hope other teams will join them in their protest and that the (misogynistic) rules will indeed change!

And then today I read some Eric Clapton news…

I had no idea he was in the covidiot category and I now find that he is a racist too. Apparently there was even a Rock Against Racism movement in the 1970s formed directly in opposition to what Clapton had said. I had somehow never heard of this before. Bowie in the seventies also made some controversial statements (I did know that) which also led to this anti racism movement but he retracted them vehemently later, something Clapton does not seem to have done. Not that I have ever been a huge Clapton fan but I do like some of the songs he made and reading this caught me by surprise (not in a good way) and made me cringe. I have never given Eric Clapton that much thought or have known that much about him but somehow I had never pictured him being someone with views such as these. Is it a coincidence that there seems to be a big overlap between covidiots and racists? Another example for me that these views aren’t only held by a few fringe lunatics but are more mainstream than many wish to believe. That is scary. So, yes, go ahead, cancel his concerts if he doesn’t want to abide by common sense Covid rules, I’d be fine with that.

Let me end on something more positive: a librarian from Northampshire got a Richard Armitage life-size cut out for her retirement! Lucky woman.

And ooh, I am just reading some more Armitage excitement: Guylty has received a package from the man himself that will go into the upcoming birthday auction that she is organizing! Pop over to her blog to see. The excitement builds! It looks like it may be an item related to this role… or not…

Isn’t it great that there is always some good news to balance the not so good?

37 thoughts on “Stirring news (good and bad)”

  1. Servetus

    Giannis: Milwaukee is pretty over the moon about this!
    Clapton: I wonder who he thinks came up with the blues. It wasn’t white folks. I think racism and covidiocy occur together so often because they are essentially both anti-scientific views, i.e., outcomes of the same general worldview (as opposed to being internally related somehow).

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    1. As a Wisconsinite (had to look up how you call someone from Wisconsin) I bet you must be pleased too, even if basketball isn’t your thing?

      Clapton – maybe that’s why I was shocked, because his music is blues-y, so I had not associated public racist statements with him. Yes on the anti-scientific views and therefore extra susceptible to conspiracy theories that make no sense, I guess.

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      1. Servetus

        Yup, Wisconsinite, as clumsy as it is. In the southern part of the state you can also say “Sconnie” (controversial; it is sometimes pejorative), or “Cheesehead” is a generally understood reference to us, as well (although it also implies “Packers fan”). I’m pleased, too. I am a retroactive fan of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (fifty years ago: Lew Alcindor; obvs 50 years ago I was a toddler!) and I’m happy the championship is with us again this year. I also think Giannis is really good advertising for that team — in that he ticks a lot of bipartisan political boxes that are potentially bipartisan. My impression is that the excitement is a bit stronger in the southern part of the state, but my basis of comparison is limited to the Milwaukee vs the Green Bay news stations. They had a parade for them yesterday in Milwaukee and the governor declared it “Bucks in Six Day.” People up here are also focused on the latest bombshell from the Aaron Rodgers camp.

        I just don’t get how you can like Black music and not be basically sympathetic to the situation of Black people. Blues came out of their concrete social and political circumstances in the US South. Then again I suppose we could say there are probably a lot of people who like Clapton’s music but not his political views; but it’s kind of a different thing.

        anti-scientific views: you could add climate-change denial into the mix, if you’re talking the Right side of the political spectrum.

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        1. Abdul-Jabbar – have heard the name but know nothing about him. What makes you like him?
          I don’t know Aaron Rodgers, just looked him up and yeah, American football – not my thing.

          Yep on the black music and climate change!

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          1. Servetus

            He played for Milwaukee when they won their previous championship, and went on to play for Lakers. Since retiring from basketball (he coached for a while) he’s written several popular history books on African American history, and served as a cultural ambassador for the US. He’s very outspoken about racial injustice.

            Here’s the comparison a lot of people are making between Rodgers and Antetekounmpo:

            https://wtmj.com/green-bay-packers/2021/07/26/extra-points-a-bad-look/?fbclid=IwAR0XwVUgfqYpNpOA7XXsto2mCrE8zTGIdwkU2k51J9I4ONwUAoctUKFosK4

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  3. Kate

    Happy to hear that good sports news are lifting the spirits chez Esther. I’m not much into sports myself, but as the wife of a sports fan I know the effects of a good (or bad😬) outcome on a household.
    I’m with you when it comes to finding out how many people hold horrible and irresponsible views. It really scares me and it’s hard not to get disillusioned.
    Which makes the little joys in life that much more precious—be it auction fun or Armitage appreciation for a job well done. When we can find a little happiness along the way, we have to grab it with both hands. Hope your holidays will be safe and stress free.

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    2. Thank you, Kate!
      I got so swept up in my son’s enthusiasm that I’m now following Giannis Antetokounmpo on social media myself (for as long as it will last).
      I’m really looking forward to the auction. 🙂

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  4. I read today on Twitter, that Pink volunteered to pay the fine for the norwegian team and think it’s great in terms of shining a broader light on the issue. She she seems to be a good one.

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    1. I didn’t see it (was out this afternoon) but I did read the end result – great for France, not so great for The Netherlands. My son (who also plays handball) has a little crush on the Dutch handball team’s goalkeeper. 😉

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    1. I read about that Labyrinth thing too! If it were happening here, I’d be going, just to see Bowie on the large screen.

      Good for Brian May, he has a good head on his shoulders.

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