This is just…I don’t know what to say.
The NBA is currently on its mid-season All-Star Break and one of the events it features is a “Celebrity” Basketball match. In the match, Arcade Fire’s singer Win Butler’s team won and in the interview following the win, Mr. Butler, who is Canadian, tried to talk about Canada’s Heath Care system and how in this election year -I can only imagine he was heading in this direction- people should educate themselves on the many positives of this system considering many of the Republican candidates have already promised to dismantle the Obamacare system.
I say I can only imagine that’s where he was going because Sage Steele, the lady interviewing Mr. Butler, cut him off as if he were in the middle of yelling out a string of obscenities…
I found this clip and article on deadspin.com…
Sage Steel Cuts off Arcade Fire’s Win Butler’s attempt to talk about Health Care
It’s been pointed out that Ms. Steel is a registered Republican and has in the past tweeted/talked negatively about Obamacare, which certainly explains her so sudden cutting off of Mr. Butler all the more.
Others might argue why, in an event meant to entertain, should Mr. Butler be given time to talk about something political and which doesn’t have all that much to do with Basketball.
To which I would say: How many times have you seen “entertainment” events and had the athletes interviewed after the fact mention God or Jesus or some charity they’re working for? These things, too, often have little or nothing to do with the game.
Even if Mr. Butler had said something I might find offensive -say, “Elect Donald Trump…he isn’t as batshit crazy as he appears!”- I would have shaken my head and probably thought a little less of Mr. Butler as a person but it wouldn’t have changed my opinion of his music or made me bemoan the fact that he won this All-Star Basketball game. Further, had the interviewer cut him off just as he started as Ms. Steel did, I’m thinking I would have been just as offended as I was with Ms. Steel’s actions here.
To Mr. Butler’s credit, he acted like your stereotypical Canadian and didn’t call out Ms. Steel for her boorish behavior.
Jeeze, give the guy a few seconds to say what he wants and don’t inject yourself into things so quickly and wag your finger at the man you’re interviewing (“But we’re talking about celebrity basketball and not politics”), Ms. Steel.
If he isn’t cursing or acting like a complete jerk, there is no reason to make yourself look like one.