Sunday, August 14, 2016

Is This U.S. Gymnast Unpatriotic?

US Gymnastic Team
Almost in all developed countries, citizens display their patriotism to their land by standing up straight, put their right hand on their chest and sing proudly whenever their national anthem is being played. It appears that this is not the case for one American gymnast in the Rio Olympics.

Gabby Douglas left the overall team competition with a new gold medal in tow, but she also carry with her a fresh Twitter controversy.

Soon after she and her Final Five teammates became the first-ever U.S. Olympic gymnastics team to bring home back-to-back gold, Douglas was criticized by social media users who noticed that the 20-year-old was the only team member who didn't place a hand over her heart as the national anthem played during the medal ceremony.

Thousands of Twitter users were quick to claim that Douglas's failure to do so was disrespectful to the United States and the Olympic Games. This forced her to issue an apology for her rude behavior:

"In response to a few tweets I saw tonight, I always stand at attention out of respect for our country whenever the national anthem is played," she wrote. "I never meant any disrespect and apologize if I offended anyone. I'm so overwhelmed at what our team accomplished today and overjoyed that we were able to bring home another gold for our country!"

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