Alexander Majorov insults the Swedish federation on Facebook (and later apologizes)

[siberia82]

I think this might be Sweden's first figure skating "scandal". Sasha's face is everwhere in the country's media right now (which generally doesn't pay much attention to the sport): http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/article8309953.ab

And this is his apology: http://iof2.idrottonline.se/SvenskaK...cebook-utfall/

Thoughts?

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Wow...the Swedish federation wasn't the only thing he insulted.

I wonder what his apology said.

[MikiAndoFan#1]

Oh my God. What a scandal.

[Moka-Ananas]

What a charming outspoken young man.

[ioana]

And to think I just said something about how nice it would be to have Sweden get 3 spots for next year's Euros...What was he thinking -if his brain was ever involved- when he posted that? Just a little tidbit to share with 500 of your closest friends?

[LynnW]

Wow...the Swedish federation wasn't the only thing he insulted.

I wonder what his apology said.

According to Google Translate, that he must try to deal with disappointment in a more constructive manner and that he is not a racist. He has friends from all over the world.

Sorry, but in my opinion racist words don't come out of your mouth just because you are disappointed.

[Allen]

I think this might be Sweden's first figure skating "scandal". Sasha's face is everwhere in the country's media right now (which generally doesn't pay much attention to the sport): http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/article8309953.ab

Schnikes, he doesn't realize that this sport is judged by humans does he? I didn't see these particular performances, but I don't think Majorov is on the level of Schultheiss or Berntsson yet. Also, didn't Majorov totally blow it in the short program?

That's a fairly substantial rant. How old is he anyway?

[Sugar]

OMG what a rant

[maggylyn]

Is there an English translation posted anywhere?

Thanks.

[oleada]

A lesson in how to win friends and influence people...

[ninadel]

Is there an English translation posted anywhere?

Thanks.

You can get the gist from google translate.

He will need to do a LOT of damage control to get back into good graces. This is like a PeeWee Herman (aka Paul Reubens) level of embarrassing...

Also let this be a lesson to kids on facebook to keep their traps shut.

[AliasJohnDoe]

WOW. Someone has a superiority complex.

It's not like he said the racist stuff in a quick burst of outrage in private. He actually sat down and took the time to type it all out, click submit and let it there for the world to see. Where was his common sense when he went on this rant?

[Jaana]

I don´t understand why he was so angry as he was only third at the Nationals. If he had won or placed second and would not have been sent, I would understand his disappointment (but not his horrible behavior in this matter).

[Mafke]

AFAICT the n-word wasn't directed at any particular non-white person (or was it?) and I'm inclined to think it's just something he learned as a 'bad' English word (without knowing the finer details about how and why it's so offensive).

Stupid in the way that frustrated and angry 19-year-olds are prone to be, but not really racist.

On the other hand I was actually more shocked to see him use the term "jävla idioter!"
(literally: devil idiots) IINM the j word is a lot worse in Swedish than the translation 'devil' implies.

Obligatory link to Riget: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlTukY9fV9Y

[Loves_Shizuka]

What a lovely young man.

[igniculus]

Yikes.

[caseyedwards]

That struck me as more of a string of nasty words than really caring what their meaning was- so I doubt that is racism there.

[Veronica]

AFAICT the n-word wasn't directed at any particular non-white person (or was it?) and I'm inclined to think it's just something he learned as a 'bad' English word (without knowing the finer details about how and why it's so offensive).

Stupid in the way that frustrated and angry 19-year-olds are prone to be, but not really racist.

On the other hand I was actually more shocked to see him use the term "jävla idioter!"
(literally: devil idiots) IINM the j word is a lot worse in Swedish than the translation 'devil' implies.

Obligatory link to Riget: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlTukY9fV9Y

Yeah, young people in Sweden tend to use very nasty English words without really understanding how serious they are. They usually wouldn't use the same words in Swedish. I think it's because they get most of their English vocabulary from movies withot getting that it's not as accepted in the real world. And "jävla idioter" isn't that "bad", although it's rather insulting.

I mostly feel sorry for Majorov, tabloids are everywhere and a lot of people don't get how public facebook really is.

[Squibble]

AFAICT the n-word wasn't directed at any particular non-white person (or was it?) and I'm inclined to think it's just something he learned as a 'bad' English word (without knowing the finer details about how and why it's so offensive.

In my experience, most 19-year-old Europeans know quite a bit about the racial history of the United States, have an idea how offensive the "N" word is, but don't fully grasp how offensive the "F" word is (and sometimes think it's kind of cool to use it even if they wouldn't use similar words in their own language).

What's more, it isn't as if the use of offensive racial epithets is unknown in Sweden.

The apology is a first step, but I'd like to see him make a serious effort to make amends. Giving skating lessons (for a few years) to the children of immigrants to Sweden would be a good way of doing this.

[orientalplane]

I mostly feel sorry for Majorov, tabloids are everywhere and a lot of people don't get how public facebook really is.

I don't feel the slightest bit sorry for him. He's an adult; what he's done is disgusting.