A Drexel philosopher talks about philosophy, figure skating, and why it’s declining in viewers and popularity. Mostly posting this for Lisa, but others might find it interesting – and it’s always nice to have another example of “nyah nyah philosophy doesn’t have to be boring.” This paragraph alone makes the entire thing worth reading:
Sequin abuse is so widespread in ice dancing that, as incongruous as sequins on African tribal outfits are, even Navarro and Bommentre fell victim to it. Judges, it seems, are thought to respond well to sequins and many skaters thus feel that the additions make them more noticeable. If you ask me though, two human beings alone together, out in the middle of a vast sheet of ice, are pretty damn conspicuous no matter what they are wearing. It’s as if ice dancing judges are all suffering from some sort of degenerative eye disease that makes them unable to detect the presence of objects unless they glitter.
And finally, this must be the piece by Daisuke Takahashi she’s talking about, and to say it is phenomenally mindblowing is really an understatement. I haven’t seen anything this amazingly fluid in ice skating in a long, long time.