I’m already going to hell for my post on the Pope and the blogging priests so I might as well continue down that road.
If you missed it on the news this morning, Nancy Kerrigan’s father died when his son put his hands around his neck (and presumably squeezed) when the father refused to let the son use the phone.
Watch the video and listen for the violins.
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First of all let me say that this is a tragedy and I am in no way making fun of the death of Mr. Kerrigan and I am truly sorry for Nancy’s losses here.
That said the reporter, Jeff Rossen, has a hard on for Nancy. Did you notice how he said “she can’t catch a break”?
Really?
It was 16 years ago that Nancy got her knee whacked by Jeff Gillooly, the ex husband of trailer trash skater Tonya Harding. And now this. In those sixteen years Nancy won two Olympic medals, got married, popped out three kids and has performed in Blades of Glory with Will Ferrel and also Skating with Celebrities. She also created The Nancy Kerrigan Foundation which raises awareness and support for the visually impaired. Not bad achievements in 16 years. In fact she seems to have led a rather charmed and quiet life for the last 16 years.
That sounds like a rather long break to me.
Most people her age have suffered considerably more than she has in those 16 years.
Hell, in the last 16 years I have buried a child, miscarried four children, divorced twice, gone out of business twice, lost my father and had to put my mother into a nursing home (by far the most challenging thing I have done so far).
I know people who have been paralyzed and yet never complain. I know people who have lost their jobs and then their homes. I know people who have lost children to suicide. There are people raising children with special needs, children who will never have the opportunities that Nancy had. Hell, there are a whole mess of people in Haiti right now who have nothing and who didn’t have much before the earthquake hit.
Again, it is a tragedy that her father was killed and it is even worse that it was at the hands of her brother but c’mom, she has had a charmed life except for these two incidents. And she had one up until she got her knee whacked back in ’94.
Maybe it’s just me but after seeing the “Why me” clip over and over again I couldn’t help but think, just a little, that I understood why Tonya Harding wanted to mess her up just a bit. Sure she wanted to win the gold medal and Nancy was standing in her way but there was more to it than that.
Who didn’t secretly think to themselves yay, Tonya, finally someone knocked one of these people down. You know those people, the kind who get everything handed to them. I know Nancy probably worked her ass off to skate as well as she did but Tonya was, by all accounts, a better skater and yet everyone knew she couldn’t compete with Nancy and her all American good looks and her American Dream.
Tonya skated better but she didn’t look as refined as Nancy. She worked harder, most likely, and when she realized she wasn’t going to beat her on the rink she took it upon herself to win. She hired her ex husband and her body guard to attack Nancy. That takes some balls, not brains however. And of course it was the wrong thing to do. But who hasn’t fantasized about eliminating the competition? Tonya just took it one step further.
I’m sorry her father was killed, I’m also sorry her brother is the one who did it, but for crying out loud can’t it simply be a tragic news story? This really isn’t about Nancy and yet the media are making it sound as if she has had nothing but horrible things happen to her.
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- Tonya Harding’s Message To Nancy Kerrigan (perezhilton.com)
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- Did Nancy Kerrigan’s Brother Kill Their Father Daniel Kerrigan? (bostonist.com)
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Jen, my niece was a competitive ice skater from the age of 6. These kids (or little entities if you will) are not poor. They have a mommy who drives them to private lessons with their expensive coaches every day. They also have choreographers who work with them on their routines. Now this is even before they get to the costumes, makes up artists, hair stylists, and so on. Tonya Harding had raw talent. She also had no chance in hell in that world of pampered princesses. It’s a shame but there it is. Yeah, I’m sorry Nancy’s father died too. But her “tragic life” is a tad overblown for my taste. I have more empathy for the bad girl Tonya.
.-= Linda Medrano´s last blog ..Under the Overpass =-.
I remember the South Park episode when Cartman said, “So I kicked him square in the nuts, and he cried like Nancy Kerrigan!”
Every time I hear or read Nancy’s name, I remember that quote and roll.
See you in Hell!
.-= MadMadMargo´s last blog ..A Girl Can Dream, Can’t She? =-.
I don’t think one can pit one person’s pain and tragedy against another’s. I’m reminded of that TV show from the 50’s “Queen For A Day” which did just that. (And yes, I am that fucking old.) I’ve never been a Kerrigan fan, but as you point out, this is something the media is creating. I think Nancy, herself, would probably agree with you that she has had a very blessed life and that her tragedy is by no means greater than that of anyone else.
.-= injaynesworld´s last blog ..injaynesworld it’s the "Sunday Recap…" =-.
Tonya Harding – when was the last time I heard her name? Oh yeah, when I got this fun little game on the internet – Tonya throwing beer bottles at anything passing by. It was fun!
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..It’s raining =-.
I have mixed feelings about it. Yes, people suffer many, many things, but not usually in the public eye. I will say that it really, really crappy.
.-= Kristina P.´s last blog ..Going Dog Wild =-.
What a family, although it has been sometime since we heard anything from the Kerrigans. To bad it’s more tragedy.
Hey Jen I was just wondering if your still doing Adgitized, didn’t see any on your site 🙂
Linda: I had no idea who either of them were until the knee whacking happened but it was immediately clear that Tonya Harding was at a disadvantage. She was not in the same league as those girls like Kerrigan.
Margo: I love South Park.
Jayne: You are right it is difficult to compare pain. One person might better handle it or perceive it differently. However I disagree with you that Nancy would consider her life blessed. She is, or at least was, the girl who always complained even when things were going well. Remember the Disney Parade following the Olympics? Disney sponsored her to the tune of $2 million and all she did was complain about how corny there were. She has a reputation for being a bitch, which I have no issue with, but she is an ungrateful bitch who doesn’t realize that there are a lot of people in this world who work harder and have considerably less. She is a poor sport.
Stephanie: I remember that game. Didn’t she star in a porno with that Bobbit guy?
Kristina: They don’t usually have the same size audience that Nancy has but most people do have to suffer in public to one degree or another. Normal people can’t just quit work while they get their shit together. She chose a very public life, I have little sympathy for her there. What happened to her father and brother is a horrible thing. And it will certainly impact her on several levels. I will give her credit that she has stayed out of the public view for a long time and maybe having a marriage and kids has humbled her. It probably has. But when she gets interviewed for this, and she will, if she says “why me?” or some variation I think I might puke.
MOB: I am but when I redid the theme I messed up and deleted my widget for Adgitize, the site was down (and still is) so I haven’t been able to get the code generated.
Very sad indeed. Gathering from the comments I guess the interviewer just can’t get past the past
.-= Pricilla´s last blog ..Goatucation: All About my Stomachs – Yes, StomachS, Part I =-.
Hmmmm, I’m not sure about this one. I guess I’m going to reserve my judgement in total until Nancy actually grants an interview to see if she’s changed at all.
I agree in the past she acted the spoiled bitch. But I did see on the news this morning that her father worked 3 jobs as a welder to make sure she could train and skate. That being said, I’m not so sure she came from a charmed life or if a charmed life was created after she her knee got wacked and then won the gold medals.
Actually, I think I’m gonna go back to how I was thinking when I heard all this news last night and this morning. I dont give a shit about Nancy Kerrigan or her life. The media will fuel this as far as the people let them with their reactions.
And Jen, that makes me sad to think of all your losses. Kudos to you for not losing your mind like I think I would’ve if I had to endure all that.
.-= peedee´s last blog ..Ethiopian Airlines =-.
Pricilla: I know you couldn’t see the video. The reporter just was so biased in his story telling. The octomom got lambasted for having 8 babies at once using in vitro fertilization, a stupid thing for a doctor to have done and considering she had 6 kids already really stupid. But, had she been married she probably wouldn’t have been treated that way. No one is getting on the case of the family with 20 kids ( I can’t remember their name).
I guess what I am trying to say, which I didn’t really make clear in the post, is that the media pick and choose their winners and losers rather than just report the story. Because they are biased we the viewing audience aren’t able to make up our own mind about the story.
PeeDee: I missed that about her father. The thing is the media does fuel this kind of thing. They certainly did with the knee whacking. And the worst part is it really made Nancy look like a cry baby when she clearly was the victim.
As for my losses, I probably did lose my mind at one point or another. And these things didn’t happen all at once though some of them led to the others. I wouldn’t change anything about my life, I have been incredibly blessed and everything, good and bad led me here so I have no regrets. And there are people who have it much worse than I ever did. I have been really lucky.
Who Cares? That’s my first thought. It sucks. It would suck no matter who it happened to and it isn’t more interesting because it happened to …Who was that again? Oh yeah, Nancy “woe is me” Kerrigan. I have nothing against her…I just don’t find it more interesting because it’s her family. “Son kills Father” …tragic. Who’s dad and brother it is is irrelevant.
.-= Shelly´s last blog ..About Me~Wine Reviews =-.
I wish the media would leave the family alone in their grief. Its obvious that they have a lot to contend with and having to duck the cameras doesn’t make it any easier.
.-= AmyLK´s last blog ..Dad’s testing =-.
Ack!- talk about desperate. The media I mean. If you have to reach that far to make a correlation, you’re just blowing smoke up everyone’s ass and I’m not interested.
.-= Margaret (Nanny Goats)´s last blog ..Can You Be Frugal to a Fault? =-.
Shelly: You hit the nail on the head. You managed to do it one swing rather than my post which hardly even came close. I really need to think before I write.
Amy: The media get paid gobs of money for a picture of celebutards so they aren’t likely to pass by on this story. Especially since the Olympics are just about to start. Come to think of it, NBC is airing the Olympics so it makes sense that they would report this in this light to milk the most out of it. I get it now.
Margaret: See above response. I hadn’t put that together yet. I wish I had seen how other networks handled the story. NBC has something to gain by bringing this story to the forefront. It’s actually pretty disgusting.
I can’t remember why, but about a week ago hubby and I were trying to remember those two girls names. Thanks for giving us the answers.
That is just so sad. I had not heard about it.
.-= Heather´s last blog ..Stuff Around the House =-.
Hi, I have been lurking around your blog for a few weeks. I love this writing and your whole site! Keep writing!
I’ve always liked Tanya Harding and prefer to believe her skanky husband acted on his own accord, even if that makes me slightly delusional. I really started disliking Nancy after she won the medal and was paid by Disney to be in a parade. She thought the mike was off when she made some snarky comment and rolled her eyes about how she didn’t want to be there. I think Disney was paying her like a million dollars or something at the time to be their spokesperson. For a million dollars, I would have grinned and bared it, but she acted like a spoiled brat who was too cool for Disney. If the whole knee whacking incident had never occurred and Tanya had won the Olympics, do you think she would have rolled her eyes? Maybe, but I’d like to think she would have been a little more grateful for all that money.
I mean feel bad her dad’s dead, but I’ve turned the channel every time the new report has come on.
.-= Staci at Just Bloggled´s last blog ..I Was Too Tired to Take a Memo Monday =-.
Heather: It is sad and to be fair Nancy didn’t ask to be in the spot light. I haven’t watched anything about it since but it seems to be everywhere.
Staci: I recall there were a few incidents where Nancy was anything but gracious. I don’t know that Tonya would have been any different but one could assume that if she achieved the status on her own, without whacking someone, she would have been grateful.
Some people come across badly no matter what. There is a fine line between need, want, and just plain bad.
.-= Dan´s last blog ..Advice For The Lovelorn =-.
i feel sorry for nancy and her family. even though her mom claims it was a heart attack that killed her husband, i think her bro {who was drunk} should be charged with manslaughter. i am tired of all my fav celeb news outlets constantly running this story and getting updates from these hag reporters up in Boston. they also run the video of her crying in pain, “Why? Why? Why?” after getting whacked in the knee over, and over, and over. her cries are stuck in my head now. the news needs to stop using nancy kerrigan’s family drama as celebrity news and let the family grieve in private. i would rather the producers of these shows spend more time confirming whether or not my fav couple, Brangelina, are splitting. thanks for stopping by my blog.
Like you, I agree that her father’s death (especially at the hands of her brother) is a tragedy. But after I saw all the coverage of Nancy Kerrigan after the knee whacking, I pegged her as a spoiled brat. It’s understandable that most of the United States interested in figure skating, got behind Nancy in a big way. I don’t know how many of you saw the video coverage after Oksana Baiul won the gold. Nancy acted like a snotty little jealous brat and clearly looked down her nose at the orphaned Ukrainian, Oksana. It disgusted me. Perhaps Nancy had too much pressure on her to win gold. When I’d hear people talk about what a shame it was that Nancy didn’t win, I would point out that Oksana added an element at the end of her routine that made her the fair winner. I just can’t stand it when people can’t see a situation for what it is.
You know, when I read what happened a little light bulb went off… “oh yeah… Tonya Harding… Ooohhh yeahhhh.”
Makes you wonder. Makes me wonder anyway.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..Saturday Morning Surfing: Passion is NOT Enough – Your Landlord Doesn’t Give a Rat’s Patootie =-.
my god girl. You deserve a medal!
Trust me, I'm no Jeff Rossen fan, so I'm not about to defend his tabloid-like reporting “skills,” but I just want to say that no one knows what goes on in people's lives. Yes, Nancy has had a successful life, but she has had problems too. I don't know if “popped out three babies” is a very fair way to describe her life as a mother, since, like you, she has had multiple miscarriages (6, actually, between the time her 1st and 2nd children were born). Rant all you want, but make sure you have all the facts first. (And I'm not sure it's fair to call it the “Why Me” video, either. I could be wrong, but all I've ever heard on that tape is “Why? Why?” which isn't quite the same.)
The world is fickle. People are fickle.
Just you wait and see… when this is all over and done with, Tonya will come out smelling like a rose and Nancy will be portrayed as a sniveling brat, etc.
As for my gut feelings, I wouldn't give 2 plug nickels for either one. Nancy has a face like Seabiscuit and Tonya's hillbilly-bearclaw- bangs are nauseatingly hilarious.
As wrong as it was, it’s easy to see why Tonya Harding would want Kerrigan attacked…whacked, or otherwise out. She’s a whiny, self-centered b*tch with narcissistic tendencies as far as I can see, and although physically assaulting her seems over the top, it’s one way to shut her up…well at least for a minute 😉