Sunday, September 7, 2014

The Concept of Not You (2)

There won't be a new post til this coming week, so I've split the current post for a new comments section.

Why would a privileged figure skater who has the entire world kissing her ass announce that Taylor Swift's Kiss My Ass Shake It Off number was her #themesong in the process of making a pointed spectacle of how rude and uncaring she intended to be and was entitled to be?

Did Tina Fey sideswipe Tessa Virtue at the Golden Globes? Have the tabloids been running her down?

I don't think so. The media is up her ass. She's got her twitter followers fawning over her, calling her stunning, gorgeous, brilliant and role model. She's got twitter followers praising her every time she clears her throat on twitter. She can't mention Benjamin Moore paint without a Valspar representative on twitter offering to hook her up with free Valspar. She's got videographers using their own talents, time and energy, free, to create material celebrating her work with Scott, videographers who consider it an honor.

Yet somehow this woman positions herself as an underdog, and the people who are really powerless, the little bugs/pesky fleas she and Scott manipulate and disparage, are her oppressors. Does she not appreciate what she's got - not even enough to recognize that she's much better off than the great majority of her fans, and maybe she should keep that in mind when she and Scott execute their agendas?

It doesn't seem like it. They're the only two people in the world. Just as Davis and White felt entitled to appropriate the poverty of Detroit as a public relations value add for their marketing, Scott and Tessa repurpose vulnerable, well-intentioned, eager-to-please, less successful, less privileged people - supporters of their skating - as adversaries/enemies so they can show off how strong, resilient and courageous they are. That's pathetic.

Two teams who are so privileged they have to manufacture adversity. Adversity was image for Davis White, and it seems like adversity helps Virtue and Moir thrive as skaters. It's a thrill on the ice, why not take it off ice, even if they're so privileged/cosseted/praised it has to be fabricated? That's not self-indulgent at all. Imagine being so privileged you can set up people's best wishes, good intentions and happy birthdays on a twitter account YOU created and publicized as one of your many oppressive burdens.

That's a lot of privilege there, let me tell you.

95 comments:

  1. I know it was asked at the end of the comments on Part 1, so I wanted to bring it over here... who was the chick that posted about the wedding last night?

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    1. I don't know. When I looked at her twitter, she had retweeted Tessa's Taylor Swift tweet, had already followed Scott and Tessa, and in her timeline she congratulates Gabrielle Daleman (of Skate Canada's Sochi Olympic team in ladies figure skating), saying Daleman's dad told her back when Daleman was 3 that Daleman would go to the Olympics. So she's not a random.

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  2. In regards to the conversation that happened in the previous thread, about how the skating world thinks about Tessa and Scott's secret, (IMO the general consensus seems to love them) I think that TPTB blackmailed V/M into keeping silent about the skating scandal regarding Davis and White's trajectory into Olympic gold medalists. I still find it odd that Scott went from being vocal about the inconsistencies in the judging to being completely silent. I think they new they were going to be robbed and decided, after the 2011-2012 season to focus on something else that they could profit from, like the show because they weren't going to be allowed to bring home the top prize money.

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    1. I don't know if they were outright bribed, but they were strangely silent. In the back half of this past quad, suddenly it wasn't okay to question scores. In the front half, you could, if you were DW (How on earth did they lose Worlds in 2012? Hmmm. THEY'RE not going to say anything, but it certainly seems peculiar).

      The Moirs have figure skating ice running through their veins. Their business is figure skating. They promote it, want more people to go to events, want more people on ice taking skating, want people doing synchro, want people supporting the sport. They're part of the system that got this corruption done. They've known the key personalities who sold their kids down the river all of their lives.It was an inside job. Given how they're placed, they had to suck it up. If the scores were legitimately wonky, I could see making a fuss. The only way to actually make a fuss this time was to point out that D/W weren't actually skating, that Meryl didn't make her keypoints, that Charlie wobbled as if he were roller skating on the ice, and that, compared to other teams, their blade run was short and choppy. Make those points, the question becomes then why are the scores what they are? Too much of a can of worms.

      I don't know if anyone would have spoken up even if the Moirs weren't embedded in figure skating, because nobody did, not even skaters whose families aren't in the business. Everybody must have gotten word that they better be on board.

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    2. I tell you, I've been more and more curious about why William Thompson, Skate Canada CEO, got out when he did. And was conveniently not replaced until Sochi was just about upon us. This was a guy who was pompous as hell, who subscribed to the paid sections of fsu, and wasn't above POSTING on fsu to "correct" any posters who felt the judging wasn't kosher. Last time he posted he recited a list of his credentials and assured everyone that there's no fix. Then he proceeded to act like an idiot when preparing Worlds in London (the light show fiasco).

      Then suddenly, poof. Gone. Before London Worlds. Definitely before Sochi.

      I wonder if this speaks well of his integrity, or is unrelated to it.

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    3. At the same time, when it came to speaking out, why didn't the French fed, PB, or their coaches speak up? PB were also getting screwed over by DW. PB were the best Olympic medal hope for France in skating. VM were silent, but so was everyone else in skating.

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    4. It's been touched on before, but how closely linked are VM's sham and Skate Canada's own involvement in screwing them over? Were VM told (or it was suggested) if they made any fuss SC would stop enabling the sham and/or let it be exposed?

      In general, did the judging culture rationalize that due to VM's sham, it was ok to treat them as inferior to DW; in general, to undermine them? I know the ISU has its own corrupt culture going back generations. But could they have decided the sham gave them some justification? Their own sanctimony toward "liars" (never mind the judges are participating in their own version of "lies").

      The VM sham might have had, and continue to have, many negative unintended consequences for Tessa, Scott and the Moirs that they didn't foresee when they began all of this. However, whatever may be going on behind the scenes as far as fallout, by this point in the sham, VM are engaged purely in giving fans the finger. IMO that's the driving force for them right now.

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    5. Does anyone have Thompson's FSU screen name?

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    6. Anon at 12:25 pm - this is anon at 12:34 pm - your question is indeed the million dollar question - how in the last quad - no one questioned DW scores...not from the skaters, the coaches, the federations, the commentators...

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  3. Anon at 11:48 am - well if I had to guess the payback from the ISU was giving Worlds to London, Ontario home of the Moirs. As for the reality show - I think that was all Mama Virtue and Tessa. As OC pointed out in the previous thread - Tessa is definitely interested in maintaining celebrity status otherwise she would not have been on the red carpet that evening at TIFF. Guess who else that evening was at TIFF but at a much smaller venue - Joannie Rochette...besides them I can't think of other Olympic athletes that have been at TIFF...its obvious that Tessa likes the perks of being a celebrity and is more status oriented...I actually think that Scott overall is much more laid back and is not interested in being seen in the public eye...

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    1. 12:34
      I don't know about Tessa being all about the celebrity circuit. I don't think their history proves that conclusively. She's comfortable in that scene, but I think she's also shown she's as laid-back as Scott. Doing the celebrity thing as it comes along but not completely invested. I think it's very plausible she decided to walk the biggest red carpet possible because it's about showing off her "bf" and getting that out there and established as part of their narrative. I agree with all those saying this is about giving the finger. IMO it is more about that than about the perks of being a celebrity.

      It's also possible they did realize on some level how awful Tessa was portrayed on their reality show. Since they live and breath within a bubble of deceit, I think it blinds them to how things will come across. Whatever they thought they were portraying with the reality show script, I doubt they had the clarity of mind to see how pathetic Tessa would appear. Pining away for Scott/some "bf." Controlled by her insecurities. This whole publicity stunt with twitter and RS could be their way of saying Tessa is not really that person. See? She's charming, strong, independent-minded, has her own life (isn't pining for Scott), has a bf. It's the opposite of all the show's narratives vis a vis Tessa.

      VM have specific reasons for what they're doing right now with their PR. I personally do not think it's about Tessa "loving" the celebrity life.

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    2. ^^I don't disagree with any of the points you've made. They threw the reality show under the bus almost the second the last episode aired, and recruited a neophyte journalist, Amanda Sage, to do help distance themselves.

      BUT, how did they get in a position where they established one image of themselves in a reality show, and are using the red carpet and other high profile events to course correct, if that's what they're going? They're being incredibly flamboyant. If you're going to be mostly private people whose job requires interacting with the public from time to time, this isn't what that looks like. The scale of what they're doing looks like people who are going for it. You don't need to push back this way against pregnancy talk - what Tessa is doing actually inflames the talk (which, of course. That's what they like to do.) Yes, of course they've got agenda. They always have agenda. The scale is different.

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    3. I think it's about their ownership of their own narrative. No matter how flagrant or outlandish,we have to buy it, because it came from them. If we somehow got the wrong impression or see things in a way other than intended, we'll be corrected.

      The reality show was supposed to show us that Tessa and Scott are not together. That Tessa has no boyfriend, definitely not Scott. But there's some hint of interest there, so it's not like she and Scott aren't together because there's no attraction. It's because he's hot and heavy with Cassandra. Tessa doesn't get too much interest from men, so naturally if Scott were interested, he would have her. (Interestingly, almost the polar opposite of fan narratives that say Scott is way more into her).

      We weren't supposed to take from that that Tessa is a loser with no life, because that's not what VM *intended* They are like those little kids that think when they close their eyes, YOU can't see THEM. In all of those psych classes, Tessa has yet to grasp that people can form their own opinions on things, and that their intended meaning is not the only one that can be inferred by others. And, well, how DARE we think for ourselves. So know they'll show us the complete opposite. Tessa is now strong, sexy, a real magnet for men with a very full social life. But there is no need to worry that this contradicts the reality show. In their eyes, this doesn't contradict the reality show, because the only ideas presented on the show were the ones they intended. No other interpretations matter or are recognized.

      That's why as stupid as they are I get amused when the Russian fans say Scot is going to be a farmer, or some tumblr goes up about how Scott is drunk STD machine, or that one person on twitter bugs Tessa about how she's handling her cheating husband now that she's pregnant. These things are stupid, but they're also the natural consequences of the material that Tessa and Scott have been putting out in their PR for a long time, so once in a while it's good to see them confronted with the consequences of the images they espouse. They shouldn't get to do "Scott's annual drunken weekend that shows how he'll never fit in Tessa's world" without getting some rumors that he's an alcoholic.

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    4. I would tend to agree with you 12:54 regarding how much of a celebrity she desires.

      I think that she's a performer. I think that it's human nature to want to be desired and complimented by the media. I think she likes an excuse to shop for new clothes and play dress up. I think she does enjoy the idea of events like this or other cultural activites. I think she truly is someone who is happy attending film festivals and traveling on occassion.

      I ALSO think she likes being in control. I think they have a unhealthy need to portray themselves in a certain light (more later). I think, for whatever reason, they feel like they need to up their game right now. I think they felt like this was the best way to hammer that nail in the coffin, and make it "official". I think right now they feel it necessary to lay this narrative on thicker than ever.

      They've always been, but more especially post Sochi (in interviews and such), very careful about creating these public persona's of themselves. He is portrayed as the, out of control, (sometimes scarily) intense, party animal, who never takes anything seriously, wants nothing to do with school or any kind of academics, down-home country boy, who eventually wants to settle down and have lots of kids, coaching at his mom/aunt's rink, because underneath it all he's a family guy that everybody loves despite his indiscretions.
      She is the serious, focused, quiet, classy, demure, smart student, who wants a hand in everything and to travel the world, desires more of the high-life and the latest fashions and what's "in" at the moment, who always makes the right choices and has her wits about her, despite her insecurities. Maybe someday, after she's done all she wants to, she will settle down in the city with some celebrity, or at least good-looking and highly regarded in his own right, and they'll have a kid or two.

      Even though what they say in interviews and how they act (especially around each other), contradicts much of this, it is still the personalities I feel pushed on me as a fan. Granted, some of these have merely been hinted by them, and the fans take and run with it... but I also feel like they pay attention enough to turn around and feed into whatever escalation of them occurs.
      I'm not saying none of these characteristics are true. I think some of them are, just not the the degree and extent we're supposed to believe. By making them the extremes or caricatures of who they really are, that drives the wedge further between their compatibility. Therefore, they can't be anything more than platonic friends, because they're just too different, and they want different things. Maybe they've tried a relationship together in the past, but they just couldn't make it work with their personalities and desires. They're definitely not married. Also, the more they make him to be this irresponsible party guy, and her to be always traveling and busy with her studies, nowhere near ready to settle down, they couldn't possibly have a child (or more on the way)...
      I've seen Scott discussed more in regards to him being characterized in a way that's entirely opposite of his reality... a devoted and loving husband and father. But I wonder if Tessa isn't also sometimes completely different than what is thought about her. She's shown (especially recently), that she has spunk and likes to be in control of the situation. I'm not debating that. I do wonder though if she isn't just as excited about being that wife and mother, and wants a houseful of kids as well. If she's not so much the fame-seeking, fashionista, as much as chilling around the house in Scott's sweats playing with her kid and maybe even wanting to coach with him.
      Obviously this is all speculation on my part, but with how hard they lie about things, it doesn't seem out that of the box for them to deliberately put out exaggerated personalities to fit their agenda.

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    5. I agree with @12:34 that Tessa is coming across as fame/celeb hungry even if she's really not, while Scott could care less. All previous talk about how private she is seems to have gone out the window once she launched her twitter.

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    6. ^Among the other things supporting your perspective is that a woman doesn't have two kids by twenty-five, with the husband she married when she was twenty, if her idea of chilling at home is the hot tub and wine, a good book, recharging for her next red carpet event. And your point about her being a performer is a good one, although they've both taken that part of themselves to an absolutely toxic extreme.

      When I talk about celebrity I don't necessarily mean it as "media whores", but I think your point that there may be a reason they believe it has to be layed on super thick at this point makes sense. They've always gone really big in one direction when something else is happening. In this case it could be "just" the pregnancy, and a grandstanding stunt like this is right up their alley (would a pregnant woman with a little girl walk the red carpet with a fake boyfriend? That's disgusting!) - the fact that people think it's appalling is precisely why they'd do it.

      This made me laugh: "In all of those psych classes, Tessa has yet to grasp that people can form their own opinions on things, and that their intended meaning is not the only one that can be inferred by others. And, well, how DARE we think for ourselves."

      because nail on head. I guess when people do think for themselves, #hatersgonnahate.

      For two people whose myopia has caused them to repeatedly miscalculate in public, their confidence in themselves remains impressive. The reality show portrayal of Tessa, Scott's infamous SOI quiz response about a daughter, etc.

      I'm not so sure that stuff like "ScottMoirfuckedmyfriend" and the alcoholic meme is a negative to Moirville. Look at the reality show. They worked pretty hard to portray Scott as that guy. That's also why I think Semple's taste level doesn't bother them. They tried to portray Scott as a Semple type in the reality show.

      They are incredibly immature, but when you look at how the older generation in Scott's family has portrayed themselves, I think we all need to temper any expectations that Scott and Tessa are still maturing. This could be IT. This could be how they remain.

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    7. ^Not to put it all on the Moirs. Depending on how Kate is portrayed, she's either the puppet master behind Tessa's decisions (something I tend to doubt), or she's a huge enabler either incapable of challenging her daughter's choices, or sees no problem with them. Jim Virtue is a litigation partner with Siskinds, and even though Siskinds got into the sports management business awhile back (I haven't checked to see if they still are), actively helping your kid lie to and trick the public doesn't seem like an ethical thing for a practicing attorney to be doing. I imagine it happens for the same reason everybody else sees no problem - there's a double standards. It's okay to throw the rules out for Scott and Tessa. They're special.

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    8. Although the impetus behind the flamboyant, large scale way they're rolling these days may not be the pursuit of celebrity, it certainly appears to me that the feedback they've been getting eggs them on. Inside the matrix of mutual celebrity ass kissing (Tessa's back and forths with Elisha Cuthbert - EC has been more of a presence on Tessa's twitter than her non-celebrity friends on twitter), the celebrity media, whatever, I think they may be getting validation. And not to harp, but I wonder why. Not only can you see what Tessa and Scott are doing from space, but the media is almost making a spectacle of how in on it they are and how fine they think it is, although we're talking a pretty tabloid, p.r., celebrity journalism sort of level, which is populated by the vapid (at least the on camera talent aren't deep thinkers).

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    9. Oh I agree that there are aspects to the alcoholic stuff that Moirville probably likes. They very well might have gotten a kick out of some of that tumblr.

      I think 2:25 absolutely nailed what he wants to portray:
      "intense, party animal, who never takes anything seriously, wants nothing to do with school or any kind of academics, down-home country boy, who eventually wants to settle down and have lots of kids, coaching at his mom/aunt's rink, because underneath it all he's a family guy that everybody loves despite his indiscretions. "

      But what I'm saying is we as fans don't HAVE to believe "intense party animal... underneath it all he's a family guy that everybody loves." You don't get to put out junk narratives but then everyone has to respect the boundaries of those narratives and can't junk them up even more. So some people might take away "intense party animal... who sleeps with minors and gives them STDs" from the reality show, and I say good for them, because it's just exploiting the ugliness that is underneath the narratives that have been faked in the first place.

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    10. "But what I'm saying is we as fans don't HAVE to believe "intense party animal... underneath it all he's a family guy that everybody loves." You don't get to put out junk narratives but then everyone has to respect the boundaries of those narratives and can't junk them up even more. So some people might take away "intense party animal... who sleeps with minors and gives them STDs" from the reality show, and I say good for them, because it's just exploiting the ugliness that is underneath the narratives that have been faked in the first place."

      Yeah, we don't have to but Tessa and Scott think we do. If we don't, put your helmet on because they're going to come back and club us on the head with it, as if the only reason we didn't buy it is they weren't clear enough or we missed the point.

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    11. Right. It's not that we *have* to believe, (and I don't), but it's what we're *supposed* to believe.

      "Among the other things supporting your perspective is that a woman doesn't have two kids by twenty-five, with the husband she married when she was twenty, if her idea of chilling at home is the hot tub and wine, a good book, recharging for her next red carpet event."
      Yes, this is what I mean. I'm not saying she can't travel and go to school and enjoy the arts/events/fashion and skate or coach on an elite level, while still being a wife and mother. She already does all those things (Well, I'm 99% sure I believe that she's still going to school, only for the fact that I think she likes to finish what she starts). She's also highly competitive, and as has been talked about recently on here, enjoys the challenge of life. They've both been like that from an extremely young age. We also know she's very stubborn and used to getting what she wants (see: 9 year old choosing to skate/stay with Scott over her parents probable wishes and advice). We also know that she comes from a family of 4 siblings, who appear to be close. Due to this, paired with the fact that she had her first child at 21, and very soon after getting married (though, it probably felt like they had been together forever at that point), makes me think that she wants this too, perhaps even more than the other things. As much as I perceive she probably loves her husband and cares about his wishes, I just talked about how she doesn't seem to be a pushover in terms of major life decisions. So I don't believe this is an instance of him pressuring her into having a bunch of kids. Now, some of it may be due to timing with skating seasons, but they could have just pulled a D/L and waited until they were done for everything. It didn't have to be when it was. As we've seen the past few/current summers, their friends are all just getting around to getting married. Her besties don't have kids (although, I'm sure she also has close friends we just don't know about that are mothers as well.)
      Point being, I don't think she would have done/do it if she didn't want it herself.

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    12. Scott couldn't pressure Tessa to do anything. If she's doing it, it's what she's decided to do and wants.

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    13. Yep, exactly what I'm saying.

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  4. I'm bringing this over from a comment OC left on part 1 of this post.

    "Re competition: given how VM lie, I'd say the HPC tweets make it seem as if they're staying in. Tessa Virtue talked about how weird it is to be in the stands watching the skaters on the ice. Given that she's the trolling queen, that's good enough reason to suspect she and Scott came to HPC with programs prepared, and showed them/got feedback out of view of the media."

    VM also use continuing to skate as a way to deny that she's pregnant. If they show up at nationals, many of the idiots of the internet will insist that there was no way Tessa was pregnant because they're competing at nationals and they didn't start working on programs and training until after HPC!

    I think what may end up happening is that they say that visiting HPC made them realize that they didn't want to hang up their competitive skates yet. Getting programs done and training hard for the latter half of the season is the excuse they'll give when they disappear from the public eye for the baby to be born. Nationals is going to be late in January this season. Depending on when the baby is due and when it actually arrives, they could have 3 months to finish training programs that have already been choreographed and learned this summer.

    I also have a few suspicions regarding them returning to compete that involve how and why they and WP have really been playing up the close friendship angle and how well they all get along.

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    1. But how could they not have learned by now that pretending to have not skated, nor cared about skating, and gained weight over several months could haunt them this whole quad? I almost don't want them to come back if the same old propaganda is going to be used against them with them enabling it to boot.

      Seriously, do they just like lying THAT much?

      Looking back at 2011. Their reason for being off ice was nobler than, with the injury, as opposed to this summer of supposed sheer laziness and contempt for skating and being near each other. But it made it acceptable for them to be second at Worlds because they were "not ready." Now looking at their FD, while it's true that they lost some speed at the end, it was still a great performance and it still was a winning performance. A winning performance doesn't mean perfect, it means better than everyone else. Which it was. They skated and interpreted their music better than any other dancers there. And they received an excellent score of 107.50. The crowd seemed pretty damn happy to have them win too. I really thought they had it in the bag, since there score was higher than DW's SB of 103.02. All the judges had to do was give DW their same, already too high, season FD scores, but no, they took an incredible 8 point leap in their FD score to snag the title.

      And so the narrative goes that "VM were injured, unprepared, and slow and that's why they lost." But it isn't. Even with their not totally perfect performance, they still outscored what DW had been putting out all season internationally, so the problem wasn't with VM's skating at all, it was with DW's scores, and VM's time off ice was just used as an excuse.

      And I feel like that's easily going to happen again if there's another team who's going to be pushed like DW. VM have already given the ammunition and any other federation can pick up on it.

      I really thought if they were going to come back they would be a little more savvy with PR this quad.

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    2. @1:40

      When do VM learn anything from any experience?

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    3. I know, right? But they're not kids anymore. It's astounding.

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    4. They aren't kids anymore, but neither are the older generation of Moirs kids anymore, and look at them. As noted further up, look at the Virtues too.

      "I think what may end up happening is that they say that visiting HPC made them realize that they didn't want to hang up their competitive skates yet."

      Sounds like them.

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    5. I agree with you OC and 12:54 about what they could say to why they came back.
      Where does her going back to school at Western fit into this? I was back on board with them staying in, but having doubts again.

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    6. She probably doesn't have class all day (wasn't it a night class someone tweeted about), and this semester ends in the beginning of December, I believe? It's a good way for her to get some solid time in now, especially if they are planning on coming back.

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    7. The tweet was before the start of classes when she was probably buying textbooks. It's possible she's only taking a class online.

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    8. I was referring to the tweet last night, about Tessa being in that girls' night class.

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  5. Do you people have anything better to do? ?

    Relentless attacks. Hours spent stalking and typing...lol. its just so sick.

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    1. well if that tweet about tessa and simple didnt sound so fake then there wouldn't be much to talk about especially considering tessa and scott have been so silent lately

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    2. 6:24
      Since VM direct their behavior at fans, yes, we have every right to examine and discuss. If it weren't for fans they wouldn't have all the money they have through various endorsements. You bet we have the right to be relentless.

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    3. I guess the real question is^^ why bother. If you hate them and what the do or what the blogger makes up out them from the psyc ward, dont follow them???? Just a suggestion.......

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    4. 8:46 - the question has been asked and answered a million times. If you don't agree with the answer, go elsewhere.

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    5. Now Tessa is liking and sweetly commenting on shipping videos fans are sending her? Is this more of the bait and switch we're about to get slammed with more sham? Or switch and bait after last week's little escapade being used as a cya? Or both...

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    6. 11:35 AM - waste of time to try and figure out what she's doing - they always show you about five seconds later.

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    7. Or, in this case, KLawes.

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  6. 6:38 And the quick answer is also suspiciously scripted. I wonder if that came straight from Ms Virtue... "we dated off and on in 2012.... but now I'm free."

    And like you say, OF COURSE on public twitter. Because that's where one carries on that kind of conversation and tacks on the descriptors of "gorgeous couple" and other fawning behavior. It makes the couple more *real*, didn't you know.

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  7. oh my gooood did she graduate from the same journalism school as lynn rutherford?

    also i do not get the initial tweet? who is she askin the question to?

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  8. This is cringeworthy to witness. She has a masters from Carleton, which has a very well-regarded journalism program.

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  9. (Bringing my comments over from part 1)

    Yes, both her comments sound completely rehearsed and very deliberate. Complimentary towards the agenda and new narrative, but still with that, "oh darn" wishful tone that the fans can empathize with.
    Why a member of the news media needs to have this conversation publicly on Twitter is ridiculous and a bit OTT. Such a glaring plant. Set up with the gala, and then get someone like her (more "credible" the better), to "confirm".
    and
    Well, we already know they have friends in the media in their back pocket.
    This only makes it more so ridiculous that she would be "asking" this question over freakin' Twitter. Even if it was real, and she really wanted to know, I'm sure there are other channels and sources she could get this information from. And whoever the random guy that answered her was, that she "took" as being confirmation, even though he didn't actually say they were... Obvious set-up. Goodness.

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  10. If you want to know how it's going to go down when they reveal, this is it. It's going to be p.r. types like this ctv woman. Patronizing as hell. Sighing. Not getting it. You know how Lynn Rutherford behaved when people questioned DW's scores and VM's levels? Sigh sigh sigh. There won't be a need to "explain" Tessa and Scott's lies, or excuse it. They won't bother. It will all be asking the fans or anyone else to "explain" why it matters to them. There will be plenty of fans running into help with that one.

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  11. Who would have ever thought George Stephanopoulos would end up reviewing Dancing with The Stars, and doing every kind of kiss ass fluff under the sun? It's a great gig. Beats working.

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  12. At first it may seem off topic but I want to congratulate Jordan Virtue, she has a law degree

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    1. Yes but...maybe Tessa has lost her number? She's thanking her sister on twitter !!! Tessa is really annoying these days...

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    2. 12:33
      She really is.

      Now tweeting about pink school supplies as if she were an excited sorority airhead. And this from a mother of a 3-yr-old daughter of preeschool age. It's the little girl who should be getting the fun shout-outs about cute, pink school supplies.

      Tessa's presentation of herself is repugnant considering she has a little girl who needs her mother to be a good example and role model.

      Delete
    3. K Lawes just tweeted she's taking a little camping trip.

      Well, there you go. Scott the country boy was nowhere around TIFF with the glamorous Tessa. That's so not him, ewww. He's the country boy who can't wait to get away on a camping trip. Oh, and btw, he's also so not the studious type, like that what's-her-face Tessa. Instead of being excited for school, he's got a camping trip planned. Priorities!

      These people are ridiculous. As if their caricature narratives of themselves can't be seen from space?

      Delete
    4. They're lucky it's figure skating. Fans are currently roasting the NFL AND the sycophantic reporters that covered the Ray Rice video, and nobody's #hatersgonnahate them, or rushing in to tell them not to take it personally.

      Delete
    5. A camping trip? Does everyone remember the little video that W put out where Scott says he wants a camper?

      Delete
    6. ^^Yes (1:29). The comparison with the way other sports are reported, and how their fans are treated, is glaring. Figure skating fans have *no right* to call anything out.

      Celebrity figure skaters somehow manage to get otherwise reputable journalists to defend them against those *haters that hate.* It's astounding it doesn't seem to enter these journalists' minds to investigate why fans are saying what they're saying re. VM. Nope. Defending VM is worth compromising their own journalistic integrity. The poor dears, Tessa and Scott, getting hated on. (*Snort*)

      Delete
    7. Is pb chocolate milk sponsoring her camping trip? LOL
      Of course he's going on a camping trip. Why not. Haven't *seen* him since he went with her to that concert (oh yeah, he was at a wedding with whats her face this weekend)... he's been laying pretty low and letting her do all the dirty work. Now that she's gonna be so busy with school that we'll hardly see her (planned that nicely), I'm sure we'll see him plenty.

      Delete
    8. I want to congratulate Tessa and KL on doing such a good job coordinating their tweets, and shamming, as of late. What a team. Talk about partners in crime.

      Delete
    9. Slow clap for Tessa and Kaitlyn.

      Delete
    10. 1:52 and 1:56
      And Scott hasn't had to do anything but show up for the photo-ops. Tessa and Kaitlyn are doing such a great job!

      Delete
  13. I love how the guy with the "dated in 2012" explanation also tweets that "haters are always going to hate" further down the conversation.

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  14. 12:43. Ooooo, the hateful fans. How dare they question anything. Any questioning is hateful! Hateful, I tell you.
    *Rolleyes*

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  15. Most college students would be using an ipad or laptop, but Tessa is so precocious with her widdle pink stationary. It's like what they use in a REAL school. One day, after forcing herself to write Mrs. Semple on the back cover 50 times, amid her daydreaming she'll accidentally scribble down Tessa Moir, and then she'll realize they were meant 2 B!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. seriously? whats wrong with not using an ipad or laptop?

      Delete
    2. I think 4:15PM is just saying it's contrived b.s. and not real. She uses and ipad and iphone like everybody else.

      Delete
    3. There are certainly people out there who still prefer to take notes on paper instead of using a laptop or other electronic device. I'm one of them. It works better for how I learn and retain information. However, as with all things VM put out on social media (and beyond these days), that school supplies tweet was a bunch of bs.

      Delete
    4. How is the school supplies tweet bs? Plenty of students use colorful stationary and pens. It helps with organization. You're saying she's not going to school this semester? Someone tweeted they saw Tessa in the Western student center a few weeks ago.

      Delete
    5. Do u people actually realise u r now stooping soo low as to criticize a college/university students choice of supplies???? Is this normal ? No. No. And no. So fucked up. Beyond words.

      Get help.

      Delete
    6. Public figures will get criticized for all kinds of things, why are school supplies so sacred? I think Tessa's are terrible and the picture made me cringe, just like I hated Meryl's SD dress at the Olympics. And to say it's beyond words is a bit of an overreaction, don't you think? So many fans act like Tessa is this fragile little thing who'll fall apart at the least bit of criticism. I understand wanting to defend your idol but come on. If Tessa's the goddess you all claim her to be, she can deal with it.

      @8:56 She probably is going to school but I doubt she's taking a lot of classes. What's interesting is what she chooses to tweet about (her excitement about new school supplies, outings with Elisha Cuthbert) and what doesn't make the cut (her partner's birthday, any pictures from the red carpet or acknowledgement of her date). There's always an agenda.

      Delete
    7. "Someone tweeted they saw Tessa in the Western student center a few weeks ago."

      There's always a handy tweet, isn't there.

      Delete
    8. Yes, I thought that same. It actually reminded me of my previous comments on their public persona characteristics, upthread (2:25)... this is what they put out there. Shallow, and don't forget, polar opposites.

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    9. I'm sure some family member of Scott's, somewhere at some time, owned a farm. Or his family were farmers in another past generation.
      Bwahahahaha

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    10. Note the date, October 27. I see they're using the same strategy as last time , a woman who was truly trying to hide a pregnancy wouldn't be out in public so close to her due date, right?

      Delete
    11. Perfect people to speak about leadership/business. There's UWO living up to its mission statement again.

      The description of Scott and Tessa is lifted from their bios at Sports Box. Hangin out at his family farm. A jokester.

      Delete
    12. ^ I noticed the date, too...I wonder if there somehow just won't be any (or many) pictures of the event...

      As for the descriptions of their interests: it is beyond me why, unlike pretty much every other athlete in Canada, VM seem almost entirely uninterested, even in situations like this, in presenting themselves as ATHLETES. Talk about the discipline and commitment it takes to train at an elite level. Talk about your interest in sport generally. Talk about how the things that training for your sport (or any sport) teaches you can translate to other endeavors one might undertake. None of that requires revealing that you are married and have a child. It might, however, suggest that you live a vaguely serious, responsible, adult life, which VM seem utterly opposed to ever admitting about themselves. Nope! I take my pink pencils to school and love doing my hair! Scott's on the farm, hanging out and joking around! It's perverse.

      Delete
    13. "Hangin out at his family farm. A jokester."
      Yep. That's exactly who I would pick to speak at the school of business. Between this description and the irresponsible/alcoholic perception, it's amazing he gets anywhere. Good thing the media and sports world know the truth about him as a person to give him legitimate opportunities.
      At least they made her sound somewhat desirable, even if it is a bunch of fluff...

      I still fail to see how these personas are better for their image than the truth. They could do so much and inspire if they focused on how they're able to balance elite skating, travel, school, friends, media engagements, family life (marriage and raising children in this environment), whatever else, and still be successful, at the top of their sport.

      Delete
    14. "I noticed the date, too...I wonder if there somehow just won't be any (or many) pictures of the event..."

      Eh, they had some appearances in Dec last time. It's the end of Oct. Cool enough to dress in layers again. Or some "professional" pictures released after the fact. It seems she's already benefited from touching up on a few this time around.

      Delete
    15. The Winter Dreams on Ice show was December 18, 2010. They did a book signing the next day. I suspect Little Moir was born right around the new year, so she was in public probably up until around 2 weeks before having the baby.

      Delete
    16. I'm sure the fact that it's "night class" is meaningful. We'll soon hear about what she's doing during the day, and then, well, a person who works during the day and goes to night classes couldn't possibly be a mother.

      I think getting her registered and attending the brick and mortar school this time was important. It gives cover for why she'll stop traveling after her summer o'love, consistent with the third trimester of pregnancy. They had to have someone tweet that they saw her in class, lest we think it's online.

      I expect Scott will continue to give the appearance he's traveling all around and anywhere but at home.

      Delete
    17. ^^Camping trips, Country festivals and Curling competitions, oh my!

      Delete
    18. If they're going for a Tessa's in school and Scott's traveling narrative for the fall, then I would guess that they mean they aren't going to compete. If they were planning to compete, then the narrative for the fall would have needed to have been that they were training.

      Delete
    19. Please 11:08, since when does their narrative match what they're actually doing?

      They are on the athlete's assistance list. They have athletics-focused sponsors. They attended HPC. I don't believe for a second they were their simply to mentor and observe.

      I believe the comment that guessed they'd claim they realized they weren't done once they went to the HPC is closest to the nail on the head.

      Delete
    20. According to Sport Canada's athletes assistance documents, Scott and Tessa remain carded (at S1) for training and living assistance as of August 1, 2014, at $18,000 a year each. Their joint household receives $3,000 a month in financial support meant to subsidize their athletic training. I'm going to post some of the eligible requirements later. If they didn't show their programs at the HPC, and if they're not currently training or intending to train, if they are not anticipating competing, they wouldn't be eligible for the money they're currently receiving. Based on what I'm reading, the primary interest of the AAP program is World Championship and Olympic events, not Grand Prixs and Nationals. As long as they continue to prepare for Worlds, it seems to me Scott and Tessa can skip the Grand Prix, as they've already said they will, and continue to receive funds. What they can't do quit training, have no intention of competing next spring, and keep pulling in the 3k (combined) a month.

      Delete
    21. "Please 11:08, since when does their narrative match what they're actually doing?"

      Fair point.

      I think I'm just scared I'm going to get my hopes up that they're coming back and then they won't.

      Delete
    22. But is this money something they get upfront, or do they only receive money if they actually train and submit bills for their expenses (including living expenses *while actually in training* which they are claiming not to be right now). Just because the assistance is for $18,000 each which evens out to 3k a month for the pair, doesn't mean they are receiving a 3k stipend each month. There are some grants where your name is on the list, but it doesn't obligate you to actually incur the expense, and if you don't meet the criteria (in this case training) you simply don't get the money when the elapsed time expires and the money you would have used goes into the pot to be given to someone else. I don't know if that's the case with the AAP grant and I haven't been able to find the info. I also read on FSU, but was not able to confirm, that the S1 category actually lasts for two years, not one, so they would have two years to spend this money and that wouldn't mean they were competing THIS season.

      I do think it's significant that they are on the AAP list while Chan is not, even though Chan is also listed on the national team, but I don't want to get my hopes up either. I think the money is there for them if they compete or at least train to compete, but if not, then they don't get it.

      Delete
    23. It's all spelled out in the policies, procedures and guidelines, excerpts from which I will publish in a new post.

      The $1500k is monthly per S1 athlete each carding cycle. At Scott and Tessa's card designation (S1), they each receive $1500 a month. That's 3k for their household. It's not a lump sum available in some kind of escrow. Furthermore, in order to be in compliance, an athlete has to be training for international competition, year-round, and their compliance has to be supervised by their NSO (National Sports Organization). On a monthly basis. If they're training at the beginning of a carding cycle and then retire or stop training or can't make up their minds, they have to return the money, with a few exceptions (injury or pregnancy being two, those matters being between the athlete and their NSO, not the athlete and AAP, as long as the duration is four months or under).

      They don't submit expenses and get reimbursed for their expenses unless they're eligible and approved for the tuition reimbursement part of the program, in which case they go through invoicing steps via their NSO and their school. This is $1500 a month for S1 athletes. Kaitlyn Lawes gets the same amount. There are carding criteria and compliance policies.

      I'm not calling you out in particular, but I just want to remind people that this document is ON LINE. There is no need to guess or speculate. It's spelled out how it works.

      Delete
    24. From what I'm reading, unless everybody is looking the other way, or unless Scott and Tessa have renounced their eligiblity since August 1, they have to have told their NSO that they intend to compete in, at the very least, Worlds, and they have to be preparing for, and available to compete at Worlds. If Tessa is, as I believe, pregnant, she is entitled, under the supervision of Mike Slipchuk (officially, as he is the SC high performance director) to not train for up to four months, and this is considered by AAP a matter between the NSO and the athlete, and I don't believe monthly compliance reports are required. Since Tessa took what? Barely over two months between her first CES surgery and returning to training, and since Tessa and Scott skated their short program throughout her last pregnancy, and competed at the subsequent 4CC, I think even a pregnant Tessa can easily be in compliance as I don't think she was out of training for four months every in her life.

      Delete
    25. Remember this is a federally funded program. Tax money. Scott and Tessa don't train and submit invoices for reimbursement. They flat out get the $1500 each a month, as do all the other S1 athletes. It's for living and training expenses and the main compliance criteria goes to training, not invoicing/reimbursement. It's not an invoice/voucher set-up. It's like getting a grant.

      So unless Scott and Tessa have renounced eligibility since August 1, 2014, and are not receiving money, or unless Scott and Tessa are not currently training for worlds according to the compliance criteria set out in AAP's policies and procedures document because she's pregnant or injured, Scott and Tessa are either training for Worlds according to the AAP criteria (there's a whole lot about how NSO - in this case, Skate Canada - must be in compliance with AAP in terms of the training criteria its athletes must meet), or they're not training, not planning to compete at Worlds, and just taking in the 3K a month in Federal Funds because Slipchuk lets them or they think they deserve it because they're Scott and Tessa, or whatever.

      They've either changed their status with AAP since August 1, 2014, or not training because she's pregnant or one of them is injured (the four month allowance for that case) or they're training and intend to compete at Worlds.

      Delete
  16. Well, what do you know, after 2 months a cerain Meryl Davis finally menaged to follow Tessa.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Speaking of this two it's Tessa who is the mean girl. She is so uninterested in the skating world now that she didn't even bother to follow PChan not to mention other skaters.

      But other winter olympians? Anytime!

      Delete
    2. They certainly support golf. And curling. And winter sports in general, except for ice dance.

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    3. and except for pairs, ladies and gents' singles

      Great people

      Delete
  17. y'all conspiracy theorist gonna love thisSeptember 8, 2014 at 9:46 PM

    guess who's following tessa?

    hint: no im not referring to meryl

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 9:46. Please just come in and tell what is going on? This isn't Kindergarten.

      Delete
    2. Some London Mommy club account followed Tessa but I think it means nothing. She's a local celebrity and the account seems to follow people like that, regardless of whether they're mommies or not.

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    3. It's everyone's favourite enlightened, progressive, ex-Alpine skier. Or was he already following her? I don't pay attention to when people start following other people.

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    4. the celebs they follow are either moms or part of the team. the only celebs i've noticed is FLOTUS, who is a mom, ellen and oprah - who both have television shows that cater to moms

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    5. so unless Tessa is planning on doing a seminar for the children of her community or teach kids how to skate/dance in the near future, she really seems like the odd one out.

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