Leave Gabrielle Douglas alone

For no good reason, the social media — particularly the jackals in Twitterverse — turned on gymnastics great Gabrielle Douglas, to the point that when she was finished competing, she gave a tearful interview over her haters.

What is there to hate? Douglas has done the Olympics team proud and any one who wants to pick apart her hair, her posture, her anything should maybe get out there on the mat or the bars and see how high they can fly. There is a deep danger in the so-called call-out culture, where we’re all so quick to pounce and for what? For. What? As Britni Danielle said in Ebony:

She not only helped Team USA win its second all-around gold medal in a row this year at the Rio Games, but she made history four years ago in London when she became the first African American (and woman of color period) to win the prestigious all-around title at the Olympic Games. On top of that she wrote a best selling memoir, a children’s book, had a Lifetime movie made about her life, and literally became a Barbie doll. To say she was America’s sweetheart would be an understatement, but oh how things change. And unfortunately for Douglas, it has little to do with her, and everything to do with us.

So let’s close with this: Thank you, Gabrielle (as she prefers to be called) for a wonderful Olympics, and may you nail the landing landing in your post-competition years.