Gather ’round, all you bullies. It’s time for a sensitivity lesson from Matt Lewis. Today’s subject: Americans’ heartless treatment of sportscaster Bob Costas.
Costas has only been able to handle sporadic coverage of the Winter Olympics thanks to a wicked case of pinkeye. When he has appeared on TV, viewers couldn’t help but be transfixed by his condition. And can you blame them? We mean, look at how red that eye is!
But according to Matt Lewis, columnist for The Week, Costas’ oozing eyeball isn’t the real problem here. No, the “real virus” is our schadenfreude.
https://twitter.com/CalebHowe/status/434366651891339264
Read it and weep tears of guilt and embarrassment, haters:
Bob Costas has reportedly been sidelined from covering the Winter Olympics again tonight, but his eyes aren’t the only thing infected.
This whole episode has revealed a larger epidemic. Rather than simply ignore Costa’s quandary (which is what we all pray will happen when something like this happens to us) — or treating it with compassion — we fixated on it.
…
I’m not saying he’s a hero, but any kid who ever had to go to school with a zit on his face should identify with Costas’ plight. Instead, we savage him. Because he’s not really a person, right?
Of course he’s a person, Matt!
https://twitter.com/CuffyMeh/status/434367368391688192
It just so happens that he’s also a douchebag with a temporary, treatable eye condition that we can’t help but stare at. We’re people, too, you know. We’re human. And, well, ’tis human to mock Bob Costas — and Matt Lewis:
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"I'm not saying Bob Costas is a hero for catching pink eye, but he kind of is." http://t.co/jQnVGjIajF
— Leon Wolf (@LeonHWolf) February 14, 2014
If Lewis’ aim was to shift our attention away from Costas, then mission accomplished! Our eyes are on you now, Matt.
https://twitter.com/CalebHowe/status/434367600076668929
https://twitter.com/CalebHowe/status/434367024542670849
https://twitter.com/CuffyMeh/status/434369613925601280
https://twitter.com/BenHowe/status/434368940454993920
Please help fight pinkeye by wearing this awareness ribbon. @BenHowe @calebhowe #MakeADifference pic.twitter.com/2vAeuS6Ibk
— Jim Jamitis ???? (@JimJamitis) February 14, 2014
I think the video @mattklewis made about Bob Costas is even more moving than the oped http://t.co/ErTTNu73Kb
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 14, 2014
Teehee!
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