The woman who single-handedly destroyed Olympic breakdancing

[@SydneyWatson]

I didn't mention this in the video, but, I don't really think the Olympics is the time to show up and "have a go". I think the Olympics is a time to highlight exceptionalism and incredible talent. I get why people are precious about this, but realistically, we're talking about athletes representing their countries. This isn't like giving out participation trophies for showing up. 😭😂

[@lisafoodie8443]

syd whats your thoughts on the minister agency re men's behavior change...poor blokes...makes me sad australias going down this path...

[@oldbag3043]

I Broke watching her Dancing, because she Broke Dancing

[@nobushidono9897]

This is why we need sports in where people die.

[@baronarcanus9111]

I like you. You can stay. I am Arcanus !

[@atticstattic]

The US women's basketball team had a go.

[@bulbinking]

Not only did she not “smash the stereotypes” she actually reinforced them.

[@whenpigsfly8178]

She really made the case for NOT deterritorializing gender in Breaking, a sport/activity that clearly is a way for young men to peacock/show off to each other and demonstrate their genetic fitness for young women, like a bower bird building a stage and doing his little dance.

[@przemysawdobrzynski2590]

She breaks them

[@whenpigsfly8178]

@@przemysawdobrzynski2590 She broke feminism.

[@przemysawdobrzynski2590]

@@whenpigsfly8178 she broke everything

[@lizzyluv96]

She is the 'Middle-aged uncool teacher trying to be down-with-the-kids' personified

[@tiagoinka]

She smashes both stereotypes. She writes scientific research like a B-girl and does break dancing like a university teacher.

[@tylerdurden5122]

I think when she talked about smashing stereotypes, I think she was referring to the stereotype that Olympians are good at their sport…

[@annemcintosh2568]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@moiraslater8526]

Gold 😂

[@Sheyshel]

And dancing like a White person. The elephant in the room.

[@naej1977]

That's funny

[@DS-wm6rn]

She managed to offend: 1) breakdancers. 2)Honest real PhDs. 3) kangaroos.

[@annameme1834]

LMAO - and I heard the kangaroos are getting the emus to help with payback

[@zoglasomp4951]

😂😂😂

[@roberto3151991]

​@@annameme1834The Ultimate Threat

[@jeffmorin5867]

@@roberto3151991 Imagine if they get the Koala Coalition brigades together...Axis of Evil right there.

[@rebelduck9077]

Damn, the kangaroos had a vote too?? 😂😂😂

[@danialcrockett614]

She’s a fine example of someone who thinks she’s way better & smarter than she really is. There’s a big difference between confidence and delusion

[@AuDHDarling]

✨ Academia ✨

[@LordJuniorNYC]

The worst part is that everyone now knows the name Rachael Gunn and no one knows the names of the actual medalists in women’s breaking. She made a mockery of their beloved art and stole the moment they actually worked years toward.

[@jrd33]

Worse than that, now when a woman says she's a competitive break-dancer, people will say, "Ooh, like that Rachel Gunn?"

[@SuckOnYakuzA]

the worst part is that we collectively gave her another stream of revenue by giving her fame.

[@zed0002]

I'll be honest, if RayGunn hadn't happened, I'd still not know who the medalist for breakdancing were. I wouldn't even know breakdancing was an event.

[@xionplague9640]

Clowns usually take the spotlight

[@jasonswitzer1748]

Agreed. Also, it’s not like this lady wanted to go viral. I’m sure she’d be very happy to have more people talking about the b-girl medalists.

[@crazycanecorsolady]

If you can't handle being judged then don't go into a competition where you're being judge by the whole world!!

[@_Coffee4Closers]

I swear I think they were just trolling the games...

[@M-S_4321]

Judgement based competitions may be triggering for some people?

[@AwakenedAvocado]

Yes I was severely offended by this

[@styleisaweapon]

@@M-S_4321 Being judged poorly is triggering to everyone! Its time that the buttercups sucked it up. When a person defines life as a series of "triggers" its no surprise that they "go off."

[@productofsociety442]

Big facts, plus you do something so horrendous, then you have to just eat the shit that comes with that

[@datsun210]

The Olympics are supposed to be a gathering of the world’s best, and she clearly did not deserve to be included in that category.

[@alexguillen9598]

And also breakdancing isn’t an Olympic sport, it can’t even be qualified as a sport

[@TheDigitalThreat]

Best worst! loophole lol

[@rinzler9775]

Unfortunately, I think it perfectly represented what the Olympics has become.

[@hongkongphooey5944]

somebody forgot to tell her she should be in special olympics

[@amireallythatgrumpy6508]

Breakdancing in general had no right to be there

[@DangerDassie]

I’m really irritated that this woman has a PHD. My sister who is a world class paediatric nephrologist worked 18 hour days including weekends, to submit her PHD. And this woman has a PHD?! WTH people!!!

[@Passerby7410]

Dont worry that woman has A PHD in BS 😂😂😂😂

[@maniravsadhur8409]

Just remember that not all PHDs are born equal, and everybody knows this.

[@frocat5163]

Your sister has a PhD and an MD? I know some medical doctors also have a PhD, but it's not incredibly common.

[@meganluck4352]

Did you mean Pediatric Neurologist?

[@theabhorrentchef7226]

Post 2012, anyone with a phd or even a university degree should be looked upon with suspicion and be considered unintelligent, gullible, and immoral- until proven otherwise. Give them a chance surely, but make them earn any trust or respect. It’s sad that that has become necessary but the universities have been captured and are factories for brainwashed radicals and brain dead npcs

[@45kimmyb]

She wouldn't be the first person who held a degree that didn't know a thing about what she was supposed to be educated in....

[@Ray_LF]

She forgot the first rule of academia. Those who can't do, teach.

[@blaws6684]

I guess the money wasted on this tragic embarrassment never gets mentioned. Flying these wokies around the world would has fed 10000 starving people for months.

[@SirNomad]

"Those who can't do, teach."

[@Iwoasasaned]

This and has no clue how to transfer her theoretical knowledge into practical skill. All she gives is „wanna be cool mom of two (6 and 8 years old) girls showing off in front of her girls male (7 year old) friends“ or „wanna be cool 2nd grade teacher“ 🥴 sorry

[@paultemple3660]

If this happened in STEM there would be bridges collapsing

[@PhattyBolger]

"I'm totally smashing stereotypes, aren't I?" Yeah, you're the first breakdancer I've seen who can't breakdance.

[@Seeker0fTruth]

My thoughts EXACTLY

[@stringfellowlocke2214]

The level of hubris, not to mention the complete lack of being self-aware, in both what she said and how she said it is ... astounding😮

[@QUINTUSMAXIMUS]

She was 64 out of 80 last year. I couldn't how she thought she was good enough.

[@locojazzhands]

🤣🤣🤣 I've never been a meangirl, until now. I'm legit outraged by this. If I danced that bad, I wouldn't be a dancer. I'm sure she feels bad, but she said she tried really hard. And that's bad.

[@skaarlet1449]

@@QUINTUSMAXIMUSGeez there were 16 who were worse?! Holy crow…I wouldn’t have thought that possible. But, to be fair, maybe they were beginners? Idk.

[@VanchaMarch2]

PhD in breaking sounds like something I would’ve made up when I was 11 trying to be a smartass

[@williammkydde]

Actually, as we can see now, it's PhD in feminism; breaking is just a field where she applied her feminist ideology.

[@bolotabr12]

😅😅😅

[@williammkydde]

I should add: I'm still waiting for a PhD thesis on why fisheries and coal mining are male dominated, and how females should overcome that injustice. Strangely, it's something that does not even cross the mind of those scientists.

[@xyhc]

Righ now, in Mexico (my country) there is an outrage because the Science and Technology commission of the goverment funded a master's degree thesis called : Sailor moon made me gay: The identity of the millenial mexican gay male who grew watching Sailor Moon. No joke 😮😢😡🤢🤮

[@enoscheeren6105]

It’s social science, critical theory applied to breakdancing: go woke, go broke, hence her zero points 😂

[@AlvaroArredondo-ir6iv]

“Bullying” … “harassment”…”defamatory”… are words they’re hiding behind when the petition was for ACCOUNTABILITY. While the claims were false, someone must be held accountable for the qualifiers. There are many talented breakers from Australia & New Zealand, but very few had access and funds to attend & compete in these qualifiers. While there are few women breakers, there are enough in Australia & NZ to make it to the Olympics. I find it difficult to believe that Raygun was the best that Australia had to offer. Furthermore, the judging for the qualifiers were conducted by experts in ballroom dancing!? My statements are NOT “bullying” “harassment” or “defamatory” rather they are a call for ACCOUNTABILITY.

[@mack6up]

No, once the false claim has been made, nothing else beyond that matters. Maybe create another petition without the false claim and it may go somewhere but after a false claim that's been made, nothing else beyond that false claim matters

[@puckerings]

Regardless of what you personally say, you understand that other people said other things, and many of them did amount to harassment and bullying? You know that you're not the only fucking person on the planet right? Right?

[@puckerings]

Also the fact that you find something difficult to believe doesn't matter. Facts matter.

[@Jaster_Mereel]

To get a PhD in "breakdancing" was not something that I knew was possible.

[@rafal5863]

Feminist glaciology is a thing. The Sokal2 hoax is a good bit of lore.

[@stevenlaput9496]

PhD…..people having delusions

[@julierice100]

A new..pronoun...

[@Saavik256]

In my country, someone wrote a doctorate thesis on the subject of börek.

[@tilapiadave3234]

My PhD is in JEDI powers :)

[@lisabelle7553]

A break dancer from Australia commented on another KZbin video that no one in the urban Centers was aware of any tryouts for the Olympics. They think Australia went to the universities and found intellectuals and picked from them. To me, that makes the most sense on how this debacle takes place. Anyone who has ever watched "so you think you can dance "has seen un believable breakdancing. To call what this woman is doing breakdancing is an insult to all those truly talented athletic dancers.

[@mettatonneoex]

What do you expect from the Australian government

[@ibnyahud]

yeah, this aussie girl is coping...that's exactly what happened no way they advertised Olympic tryouts and no one more talented than this stooge showed up what is she trying to say? that no one in the entire country of Australia can break dance?

[@sydtopia]

It was on aus breaking Web site for a year before the event. If somone wanted to try out for it, they just needed to look for it.

[@flowermeerkat6827]

How ridiculous. What if they had done that for runners, cyclists, or gymnasts?

[@marhawkman303]

My possibly incorrect understanding is that it was a matter of the IOC not knowing what to do and thus using indirect methods to handle it... IE passing off quals to an international org who also had no idea, which setup regional quals using third parties.... and the Australian third party... was Raygun's dancing clique.... which didn't do much to advertise tryouts. In theory it was open... but judging was allegedly biased, and not many people showed up.

[@reehoneybee123]

This is a woman who never got told no as a child. Like everyone in the Australian break dancing community just said “oh wooooww you’re so good” then whispering “wtf was that?”. I agree with Sydney with the fact that turning up to the Olympics to give it a go is not the time for that. It’s not a participation award situation.

[@jimmyb2655]

first time i saw her "routine" i thought it was a skit mocking the olympics...nope that WAS the Olympics...

[@theesper7404]

😅

[@Xplora213]

It probably is supposed to mock it - she's a leftist. She doesn't actually believe in merit or value. This is just a nail in the capitalist coffin, to her mind.

[@gohawks3571]

Me too!

[@CoolGuyMcGruff]

Even watching "highlights" was cringe worthy.

[@alejandropacheco7832]

Honestly... The entire Paris Olympics 2024 was a mockery of the spirit of the Olympics 😂😂😂

[@LynMa80]

Anna Meares : "I absolutely love her courage, I love her character." Woman, we're talking about the olympics here, the most important is competence. Anna Meares : "She was there, doing her best." Again, it's the freaking Olympics, not a school sport event. Doing your best is good, but if your best is still bad, then she has no place here.

[@jkutyna]

The most important is competence? Good thing that's not required in politics. Democrats haven't fielded a competent candidate in the USA in my entire lifetime and they keep getting votes.

[@Ulrich_von_Jungingen]

The tyranny of low expectations destroys everything it touches.

[@avioracrown6967]

Pro breakdancer : your peak is my playground!

[@adamcraft9118]

Tell that to Eddie the Eagle

[@jonlee2217]

@@adamcraft9118 Eddie was the only person from Britain to apply to do the high jump at those Winter Olympics. No one else got disadvantaged by him.

[@syberphish]

The Olympics isn't for us to see people "trying", it's for us to see the best of the best, competing to see who wins overall. Everyone doesn't get a medal, that's not how it works.

[@agiksf.8998]

Welcome to a new era of Olympics - everyone gets a participation trophy! Because it wouldn't be the 'current year' without crap like this, on top of the overall cultural de bau chery.

[@chadwik4000]

No, it is obviously for propaganda. The fact that they have a break dancing competition should tell you that much.

[@Cat-Tiger-Taegi-Cult]

Perhaps she would win a trophy in the Special Olympics. I also think she qualifies due to her inability to see the reality of the situation?

[@stephanschultink7570]

That’s what I mean! Only the best of the best competing against each other to get a medal. That is what I expect from the Olympics.

[@LifesAPeach2Me]

So I study Art...does that make me an artist? No! Do I pretend to be an artist? No!

[@AliJ]

The IOC wants this video Down It means you are right ! your viewers are standing with you Sydney!

[@VG-cz7yg]

Just because Gunn says she took it very seriously and worked her but off does not mean it makes her suitable to compete in the olympics.

[@jtjones4727]

Agreed. Clearly she has experience and is probably passionate about this stuff, but that doesn't mean she's any good.

[@retsaMinnavoiG]

I don't believe she did. She said she was training 3-4 hours a day. But even her weird low effort routine practised for 3-4 hours a day should result in a very lean nimble person.

[@dearthditch]

She’s either a delusional mental case or a goofball liar

[@shinemendwoor]

@@retsaMinnavoiG Damn. Gymnasts and ballet dancer trains 8-10 hours a day.

[@ThreadBareHope1234]

Exactly!! Olympians are the best athletes that genuinely earned their place, not mid athletes you have out of pity. This is just sad. Depressing. Unbelievable. I was a little stoked about the summer Olympics coming back, but this video just destroyed all hope for me that the Olympics could as exciting as before.

[@solomani-42]

As an Aussie, I apologize. Kind of weird no one IN HER ENTIRE LIFE told her she wasn’t good at dancing. Instead, she made a career out of it. I feel sorry for her because no one ever had the guts to tell her the truth.

[@A_Haunted_Pancake]

To be fair, we don't know how good or bad her "regular" dancing is / was. From what little we've seen of her husband's braking, his teaching might have been a major part of her failure. I mean her rutine sucked, but it didn't look like she lagged body control, rhythm or strength.

[@phoenixrose1192]

A downside to the Aussie positivity, perhaps? It pays to be a cynical Pom sometimes!😂

[@solomani-42]

@@phoenixrose1192 maybe. But I’m sure lots of people spoke behind her back. OR she really IS the best and we just suck at break dancing 😅

[@AdrienMorley-ck4eb]

Don't be sorry. She must have squashed countless breakdancers and their lifelong dreams to stay on top, robbing them of their just rewards and recognition. And billions saw that. She's done.

[@solomani-42]

@@AdrienMorley-ck4eb 👍🖖

[@Battusai1984]

You "have a go" at open mic night, you don't "have a go" on broadway.

[@philipcallado5693]

This

[@hsonmari6665]

Kim Kardashians daughter did 😂

[@Boominator-d8s]

Well put.

[@johnsampson2544]

@@hsonmari6665 Yup, money talks

[@po.po.poquito]

Video starts at 5:50. 🙄

[@karlsangree]

The Olympics are for the cream of the crop... not entitled people who grew up hearing "You're the best, you're number one. He's your trophy" even when they sucked.

[@AwakenedAvocado]

However it can also serve as a wake up call to "the best in the world" as determined by their mom and dad as a reality check competing agaisnt legitimate talent. Other than that I'm sitting back and enjoying the comedy show.

[@BlackhaloZ]

I wager that there is a F-ton of nepotism, favoritism and corruption in the Olympic selection process. Not a meritocracy.

[@Mudskippered]

bs

[@snowangelnc]

@@AwakenedAvocado Ideally it should, but that wakeup call never comes when the person, instead of taking that reality check and learning from it, just doubles down and dismisses all negative feedback as nothing more than mean words coming from a bunch of haters.

[@p.s.shnabel3409]

Fair enough. But even so, I'd argue that the system failed rather than Gunn herself. After all, she took part in the selection process, won fair and square and thus got to compete in Paris. Furthermore, for all the talk, participants in the Olympics run the gamut from actually being the world's best to what seems to be a random person who managed to sneak in somehow. Remember the girl who kinda mommy-jogged the 100 m (or some other short distance; I'd have to look up the details). There've always been cases like this - and that's partially because some of the participating countries are dirt poor and can't spend who-knows-how-much on their Olympic team. Doesn't mean they'll always lose - pure raw talent can and will win. But sometimes they lack both money and talent. Normally, though, we're all kind enough to understand that humans are fallible and don't go out of our way to humiliate them. Personally, I find the Olympics to be nauseatingly self-important. I wish it *were* more of a free for all, it would probably be a whole lot more funny. For all that we're ragging on Gunn, you know what she did do? She made us pay attention, she entertained us and yes, she got famous.

[@curiousobserver4525]

The sheer number of people performing her exact routine in their loungerooms, with absolutely ZERO training, says it all...

[@dogsmusicbookstravelscience]

Indeed. When I see actual breakdancers, I'm very much aware that I won't be able to copy them in any way. What they do takes months and years of practice and great care of their fitness and diets. When I look at the RayGunn routines, I know that my 57-year-old body can do half of that right now, right here. I could do the other half after 3 or 4 days of practice. I can understand why fellow Olympians and other sporty figures defend her, but if they're honest, they really should be annoyed having their moment in the spotlight be robbed by THAT.

[@LoRosa0224]

​@@dogsmusicbookstravelscience very well said👏🏼

[@breaghboo-gc7ub]

Katie Hopkins😂😂😂

[@fakecubed]

@@dogsmusicbookstravelscience The other Olympians weren't robbed of a chance to compete. How many b-girls in other countries could have had her spot instead? I bet they're pissed.

[@jamesclarkmaxwell-v2n]

@@fakecubed Dominika Banevič:, lithiania, china and japan won

[@TerryKnight-hw3pg]

Some people are not able to feel embarrassment, this woman is a textbook case .

[@kateelderson]

She is a narcissist.

[@maxo1124]

@@kateelderson worse...and her husband even worse...he is a "pro dancer" and didn't see that she is so bad? Punish those who gave them tickets to Paris...

[@Bjorn_R]

@@maxo1124 Have you seen him dance? He is just as bad as she is. If he was "coaching" she never had a chance to improve...

[@johannas.l.brushane2518]

@@TerryKnight-hw3pg You mean as opposed to many critics voicing their opinions in a speech pattern of a highschool drop out while not once being arsed to even mention a name of an Australian breakdancer who they believe was snubbed? Yeah, Raygun suck compared to other competitors. But much of the criticism I've seen suck so much harder. If bad was the best Australia could find it's not that much of a scandal they sent her, they don't have to go out and sell Australian citizenship to competitors from other nations in hope to get the 1st, 2nd or 3rd place.

[@The-Real-Skinny-Bob]

@@johannas.l.brushane2518 Pretty sure any performer on the street would of done better lol.

[@shawnrosspeters]

Seems like a modern Emperor's New Clothes story. Many many many people should've told her she's incompetent and her academic study is a waste of time.

[@gameburn178]

To be fair, there probably are papers worth writing on breakdancing, maybe sociology or history of dance, not sure. But hers look kind of silly: much jargon, little to say.

[@tanko.reactions176]

very eloquently explained it. seems to me like that as well, that no one said no or stop and everyone cheered her on because it was the politically correct thing to do. she does not know that she sucks ass

[@WillFredward7167]

“She showed up and did her best and tried her hardest.” In many areas of life, I do believe that’s what counts… but the Olympics is not one of those areas. You must first earn your status as one of the very best in a nation. THEN you show up and do your best and try your hardest.

[@tomjones9082]

Spot on 👍

[@canebro1]

Well said!

[@armondtanz]

Dont you also get massive funding? Like a good wage to live off for 4 years.

[@trumanb4758]

Totally this. The Olympics is supposed to represent the pinnacle of each respective discipline. It's not just for randos to turn up and 'give it a go'.

[@robertdavila3780]

Watching this channel is tranquilizing, you are so intelligent, very funny, adorably cute, conservative and non-addictive, ALMOST!! 😁❤

[@PrincessFionaYT]

The Olympics is not the time to get your participation trophy for “showing up and trying your best”. She made a mockery of everyone who has spent their lifetime training for this moment.

[@whenpigsfly8178]

Technically it is the time to do that, BUT.. you're supposed to have overcome multiple hurdles leading up till then, including showing strong natural potential in school early on.

[@PrincessFionaYT]

@@whenpigsfly8178 fair point. That you for the clarification. She is a perfect example of someone intellectually interested in an activity with no natural aptitude whatsoever.

[@robertwalker951]

Get a life !!!!its grown people paying games ! That ALL its not important only to the egos that do it ,for them its ok but to sit and watch it ?????? Get a life

[@jamesharmon3827]

​@robertwalker951 you were obviously educated in the public school system.

[@PrincessFionaYT]

@@jamesharmon3827 🤣🤣🤣 I was going with not educated at all.

[@jocopowell]

Expressing a negative opinion about someone's performance in a competition is not bullying, harassment, hate, etc.

[@salvosalva]

That's the best parte about the so-called "hate speech".. who defines it? Everyone knows what robbery, murder, arson, etc. mean but "hate speech" gives power to whoever wants to control speech.

[@Bertie..]

It is if you've never participated in the sport. So many wannabe athletes criticizing.

[@frocat5163]

@@Bertie.. *"It is if you've never participated in the sport. "* A couple of points: 1. Breakdancing isn't a sport. It has no official scoring system. It has no official rules. It's a physical activity. It requires skill. It takes years of practice to become good. Playing a musical instrument is a physical activity (some more strenuous than others), requires skill, and takes years of practice to become good. Playing an instrument isn't a sport, and neither is breakdancing. 2. This is the logical fallacy "appeal to authority." Someone who has never participated in a sport can absolutely provide criticism of someone's performance in that sport. I've never played tennis, but I know the rules of tennis. I can absolutely watch a tennis match and assess who is a generally better tennis player. *"So many wannabe athletes criticizing."* LOL. Break-dancers still aren't athletes...unless they also participate in an actual sport. (I also assume you're not a legitimate athlete, but you wish you were. A true wannabe.)

[@jocopowell]

@@Bertie.. Being an athlete isn't required to recognize her performance was an abysmal failure. If you can't tolerate reading the expressed criticisms of others, I would say the internet isn't the best place for you.

[@inugalazerozone6156]

So according to you, ​@@Bertie.., theoretically I have no right to critize a football player if they shoot 10 times in a match with 0 of them on target? It's not rocket science to figure that this is a bad play. Now return to Rachel Gun. She scored triple 0s in which each judge evaluate her in 5 categories, so in grand total she actually scored 15 0s. I don't need phd in anything to figure out that this is really really bad snd deserves critism.

[@blubayou22]

She’s so pleased with herself and takes herself so seriously. I’m in academia as a science writer, and I so respect the scientists I work with, but academics tend to take themselves and their research extremely seriously. It’s to the point that they often can’t communicate with lay men. Sometimes it’s not best to be a technical expert in a space that’s actually based on cultural competency.

[@colinklang]

I feel extremely blessed. I had no idea I am watching Olympic caliber breakdancing whenever I tell my kids no, and they throw a tantrum. It's incredibly humbling.

[@hollypasquale1395]

😂😂😂

[@ALuiza-pm2dp]

underrated comment 😂

[@nekograce7914]

Raising future olympians must be incredibly exhausting. FIGHTING!!!

[@Frazzled_Chameleon]

What bothers me the most is people saying that "haters" just aren't acknowledging her “creativity” and willingness to “break outside the box” and that she “gave it her best” and “had a go” for Australia. The Olympics is not a place for people to “have a go” at something. It’s a showcase of the athletes who are at the top of their game/field. It’s the cream of the crop; the best of the best. If you “want to have a go” at something, join a community event, take your participation trophy home, and call it a day. Also, it’s fine to be creative, but you also need technical skill. Before you can think outside the box, you better know that damn box inside and out. Only THEN can you start putting your own moves into things because you have the technical foundation in place before doing so. This woman literally made a mockery of the sport. What she saw as “creative” translated as “lack of skill” for everyone watching at home.

[@hermanphilips4617]

Exactly... I had a go at karaoke, in a diner. I'm not bad. Got a lot of encouragement. But I'm not about to go running off to be a mainline act at a concert... I wouldn't even dare being opening act. Even backup singer is likely more than my skill level. And I think I sing better than this 'uni professor' break dances.

[@markuhler2664]

To go along with what you said about knowing the box, I have said for years that coloring outside the lines only matters if you can color inside them. I'm not a big fan of a lot of 20th century art but a Jackson Pollack pouring paint onto a canvass means a lot more than me doing it.

[@livinginthetruthministries7094]

💯 Truth..

[@Captain_Insano_nomercy]

I hate to be that guy, but I saw the rise in "hater" culture as a bad thing back in the late 2000s. What I mean is the use of the term hater as a catch all excuse to avoid consequences, responsibilities, and criticism I recall students saying "I only failed the test because the teacher was a hater" or "yeah coach is hating on me because he took me off starting" And here we are. Any criticism whatsoever can be deflected by accusing crirics of being haters

[@murphychurch8251]

@Captain_Insano_nomercy Indeed! It's either "you're nust a hater" or "you're just jealous". Childish responses from the mouths of adult or even middle-aged people. Whenever someone comes up with these two reactions to any criticism (often it's fangirls or simps), I can't take them seriously any more than I would discuss world politics with a toddler.

[@memonk11]

She looks as if she did a break dance when she was five. And everyone said "ooo honey, that's soo good, you're such a good dancer!" And... no one ever told her different. AND she never grew up.

[@whenpigsfly8178]

It's like those people who line up for those singing and dancing challenges on TV shows, but who crash and burn in the auditions, did no one ever point out their flaws before or did they just go full denial mode?

[@deanjones4480]

I've seen some 5 year olds who are way better.😅

[@shawnbennett544]

And still uses the same routine.

[@memonk11]

@@whenpigsfly8178 I had thought that as well.

[@cathykushner8903]

Yes, the crime of telling someone they are good at something when they are not. Honesty is the kinder option, even if it is painful.

[@AndersHaalandverby]

Rayguns performance is literally 99.9% of what I've seen from the olympics, the last .1% is a picture of the turkish pistol guy and one of the pole-jumping-guy tearing down the pole with his--- pole.

[@KoenigJaeger]

The level of Olympics is not for "going out and trying your best." It's about being one of the best and then going out and trying your best.

[@viccim4262]

Spot on!

[@dash4800]

Exactly, it's not a fun run. It's a competition of excellence. It's the best of the best pushing the boundaries of peak human performance. You don't see them letting guys run the 100m if they are super slow just because there is no one else from that region to represent them. They have to actually qualify against other countries. Even the Jamaican bobsled team had to actually beat other countries to qualify. They didn't just get in because they were the best Caribbean island team.

[@sentientmicrowave259]

Was*

[@annienunyabiz6627]

She ended up being the, "Put in a normal person so we can see how good the professionals are."

[@HellInternAKACandyMD]

"Have a go." smh

[@mccallsensei3293]

She's a FRAUD and needs to be held accountable. Its not bullying, its called personal accountability. FFS, it was the Olympic Games and NOT a local talent quest.

[@cameraguy6213]

I disagree the Olympics have become a laughing stock ever since the "Paris opening" drag show, at this point she is giving them too much honor by simply showing up.

[@XPLOSIVization]

I think being a fraud would be easier to accept, but imo i think she is just talentless when it comes to breaking, too many yes men & women have fooled her into believing she is great at it, like the kind of people that say "you're so great at singing Nan", but really they all know she sounds like a croaking frog

[@Emuwithagun]

I say cancel hosting the Olympics, why should tax payers foot the bill for this nonsense.

[@JohnnyCrowell-l3n]

LOL at you thinking women = accountability

[@LetsAvYa..]

​@@JohnnyCrowell-l3nWomen aren't usually accountable for their actions.... Can't say I've ever noticed 😂😂

[@patrickn.4113]

My brother in christ.. As an over 10 year dance instructor I can tell you that this chick is 95% politics and 5% breakdance man.. I don't even know where to start..

[@redram6080]

5% is pretty generous

[@jaspsalmaison2421]

As a bboy for over 30+ years I can tell you it’s not “breakdance”. It’s bboying, bgirling or breakin. I’m actually glad this chick did what she did(and to be honest she’s not horrible, she has an actual style we use in the scene) so that we can have an actual opportunity to educate the masses! If you’re still are calling it “breakdancing” then everything said in the same sentence/paragraph/essay are disqualified, I think that’s fair to say. It shows that you aren’t even willing to learn the correct terminology but are willing to judge the dance, make that make sense please. Everyone is entitled to have an opinion on people’s style, we do it all the time in the circles, but for people to discredit her as a bgirl or say “she’s not “breakdancing “ “ is total nonsense and false. I don’t think her or any of her competitors from Australia should have been there but thankfully that’s what the round robin was for, to weed out the weak, that’s what we do all the time at jams(competitions) aye if Jamaica can have a bobsled team then Australia can have a bgirl competitor, good or not.

[@76CedricD]

@@jaspsalmaison2421 What are you even on about ? The label you slap on her "performance" has no bearing whatsoever on how people received it. In essence, breakdance, bboying or whatever is the correct terminology for what she did, was ridiculous and extremely cringe. I was watching on a second screen, and none of the other contestants made me cringe and look away.

[@Skibbidyboobop]

@@jaspsalmaison2421 The Jamaicans became good and earned respect though, starting out with raw talent and no training. Apples and oranges. None of us care what it should be called, she looked like a bit of an unfit lump flailing on the floor with some campy "Aussie" nods that it seems embarrased her fellow countrymen.

[@Absaalookemensch]

I honestly thought this was a parody of break dance, mocking it.

[@1_THE_MAN_1]

The original "Special Olympics" The mascot starts the spectacular event with the sacred"Safety Dance"

[@ProudCapitalist-ko9ff]

Rachel, telling you that you’re a terrible break dancer and turned in an embarrassing performance on a global stage doesn’t mean they “hate you”. But it does mean that you used terrible judgement and exhibited a total lack of self awareness. That is all true and it’s not “hate”.

[@tobiwonkanogy2975]

Agreed , poor choice of action at the highest stage of competition and did not compare to the world.

[@Muffnman007]

it's 2024, didn't you know that feelings are the most important aspect to any competition?

[@ringthatbell9597]

PhD in breakdancing is a perfect example of why uni has gone to far

[@seefoghall]

Not just breakdancing, but pairing it with woke gender bullshit.

[@realaveragejon]

Uni has gone too far when one of the PhD thesis i read before was about how the mind of Batmans work. 😶‍🌫

[@ringthatbell9597]

@@realaveragejon omg for real?

[@xxSome3Girlxx]

Lots of people have made fun of my degree, a BA in politics and international relations, but at least I did something useful even if it is an “arts” degree. Then again, I’m not an Olympian so maybe Raygunn had the right idea lol

[@Nihonguy]

And also proof that college doesnt teach you crap and only wants your money

[@Xxxxxx19-p1c]

Her performance was so upsetting because I saw breakers practically take flight, defy gravity, and spin like a top in the Triangle at my high school back in the 80’s.

[@penguinjay]

they could seriously injure themselves. This person already had the traumatic head injury, looks like, from their complete lack of judgement and self awareness. What a bad white person lol. We don't want her!

[@SoulSoundMuisc]

Right? I've seen kids in a mall with a sheet of cardboard and just their friends beat boxing for music tear it up and give me a newfound appreciation for physics. This? This was just hot garbage.

[@rosabellavitaalvarez-calde5836]

Olympic level breaking is not so different to gymastics, except with no tumblling or equipment.

[@scarolinafan7]

they would have been better off asking a gymnast to break dance

[@andrewvogel1539]

She wasn’t forced to do this. She did this to herself.

[@mightyhabib1182]

The main issue here is most of us thought she was taking the piss out of us. Turns out she was dead serious....... what an actual clown smh.

[@joeg5414]

if that had been the case - I'd like her. I mean...trolling the Olympics as an athlete is worldclass trolling. If she rigged the team and qualifying to get a spot - she deserves everything she gets. If she got there because everyone told her she was good when she wasn't - I kind of feel bad for her. No way that's that case. Someone told her she wasn't good and she ignored them I suspect. Many people

[@Heartwing37]

Hahaha….right? 😂😂😂

[@Dragontbone]

For perhaps the first time in Olympic history, people who saw this and thought/said “I can do better than that”, are probably right.

[@maniravsadhur8409]

Not the first time at all. I don't remember when that was (maybe Sydney 2000? Not sure) but an African swimmer who could barely swim made the Olympics once.

[@AlvaroArredondo-ir6iv]

@@Dragontbone I thought it was a spoof at first, like she was a comedian doing a Borat or Ali G type of performance.

[@glennwatson3313]

You are not picked for the Olympics because of your enthusiasm. You are supposed to be the best.

[@HellCatt0770]

And that’s Australia’s best 😂. There’s always some hilarious duffs at the Olympics. There was a swimmer in the 100m that only learned to swim 8 months ago and would barely meet the standard of an 12 year old where I’m from.

[@piktasniekas8124]

Who knows, maybe that actually was the best Oceania could muster. When every continent is guaranteed spots in the games, there's always gonna be weird outcomes. That's 10 times true for a new sport that doesn't even have established scoring system...

[@glennwatson3313]

@@HellCatt0770 I doubt she is Australia's best. Any well coordinated teenager could do better after a few days of training.

[@glennwatson3313]

@@piktasniekas8124 I'm pretty sure she is not the best in Australia. That would be highly unlikely.

[@HellCatt0770]

@@glennwatson3313 let’s hope that’s the ‘up side’ - maybe teenagers will have watched that ‘performance’ and realise they could be at the next Olympics!

[@MWDFrancis]

It was cruel to allow her on that platform. This was a failure of the Australian olympic committee - they did wrong by her and by Australia.

[@KickNames-p8h]

To all of us who grew up during the birth of Breaking, her performance was extremely insulting.

[@p.s.shnabel3409]

Naw, I'm fine with it. But then again, I never liked either the music or the dance style ... so no wonder I'm just having a good laugh.

[@cacogenicist]

​@@p.s.shnabel3409- You can probably at least see the athleticism and skill in the people who are actually good at it.

[@ericaltmann5711]

I remember getting into break dancing in the early and mid eighties. There were four of us in our small country town, we ranged in age from 11 to 13. We did better than that woman, we could do the windmill, the turtle, the worm, the robot, the wave, our ground work was fair, and we were kids who learned our moves from tv! Her performance was absolutely pathetic. Not a single power move. Even her basics were awkward. How absolutely embarrassing.

[@a64738]

She is an academic that have approached break dancing from an academic view and analyzed it and believed genuinely she understood it, while totally missing what break dancing is really... She is doing all the right "movements" but do not have any talent at all for dancing so it is uncoordinated and out of beat which is ruining the dance totally because it is NOT about doing movement but it is ALL about doing it correctly on the beat while looking impressive. Flailing around uncoordinated out of beat like she did is horrible break dancing and she got 0 points...+++

[@Jonathan.D]

Who else thinks it's funny that she has a PhD in dance? I keep thinking of that part in the movie monsters vs aliens when one of them says I have a PhD in dance. Someone needs to put the two of them together.

[@TetrisToasty]

Being uni lecturer is not really a big feat. It's generally a symptom of being a perpetual student who doesn't know how to live outside the academic space.

[@TheWenexx]

maybe that depends on the subject area. Normaly there are scientists doing research first and also have to teach a certain percentage of their time. Maybe some of them are not good at teaching, but I remember getting infected with their enthusiasm and love for the fiel,in a way I wish I had just one teacher in school who was able to do the same.

[@cacogenicist]

Depends on the field. There aren't a lot of opportunities to do deeply fundamental physics, for example, outside academia. And civilization runs on fundamental physics work in the previous century.

[@RocioNicte]

Exactly

[@ghost7524]

Much of the research that is done is done either with the cooperation with colleges/universities & other entities or colleges/universities on their own. And as others have said (depending on the field) and also (depending on the institution) those students who want to be professors, they have to do a fair amount of research as a part of their academic resume?CV to get them ultimately to be considered for tenure (if tenure is what they are striving for). For those that don't know, tenure in the college/university system is basically the same as the lifetime appointment to the United States Supreme Court, but professors have to put in a but more work than lawyers.

[@susanc4622]

Especially at the university she exists in.

[@StimParavane]

"I want to enter a male-dominated sport and then whine that it is male-dominated..."

[@mickk8519]

And anyone defending her reminds me of the emperor's new clothes story.

[@eman7282]

She wanted to “deterrolise the the sport for more women to participate”… As opposed to just doing something good 😂

[@whenpigsfly8178]

Yeah, a not so young woman invading a young man's space, an activity that's clearly to show off young men's fitness to challenge each other and impress young women like young men have always done in many tribes across time.

[@zuzuspetals9281]

I want to compete in n female gymnastics; swimming; boxing; field sports; racing; biking; basketball; volleyball, and I am genetically and biologically a male.

[@skepticusmaximus184]

​@zuzuspetals9281 Good you're a perfect candidate and you're obviously trans due to you're preoccupation with traditionally feminine activities. All you need to do is begin identifying as a woman and perhaps dye your hair some gaudy shade of blue or red.

[@hewlejr]

The only thing I learned in graduate school is that passion is no substitute for talent and hard work is no substitute for genius. And I’m reminded of something my father always said with regard to playing tennis: “You can think about tennis or you can enjoy tennis, but you can’t do both.”

[@ep9421]

Her coach is her husband. If you watch his break dancing you'll understand where she got her talentless routine from. As an Australian, i have NEVER heard of her until the Olympics

[@dogsmusicbookstravelscience]

Yep, what he does is just average freeform jerky movements that you'd see in any club at 2 am. when a few tequilas have been gulped down. It's worlds apart from actual breakdancing.

[@extec101]

@@dogsmusicbookstravelscience or kids having tantrum on the floor does better moves.

[@sergeyking343]

I was thinking the same thing . As soon as her husband was shown " dancing" I thought well there's the answer to why she moves the way she does.

[@pastina000]

You are JOKING !!!!...she is a household name amongst the Wombats and Kangaroos !!

[@T0ffik1]

@ep9421 dont take her blame and put on others. It was she who performed it and she who decided to do it. Her husband is just as shit as she is, but he was not the participant.

[@davecasey4341]

Her dance reminded me of a two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum because they were told no, they could not have any ice cream.

[@Pascualita_Fairview]

More like the character “Stuart” from MadTV : “look what I can do! look what I can do ! “, while he makes a funny pose.

[@punkman115]

The thing that pisses me off the most is her lack of humility. Acting all cocky like she actually did something then cry about it when confronted with the truth while proving you never tried in the first place.

[@shayestevens6627]

You're right about her not really trying to learn breakdancing. But isn't this what she learned at university? The coursework is so dumb downed you don't have to really try learning anything. Just look at all the videos where university students can't answer even the most basic stuff. Even her research paper was lame and lazy.

[@onlyrealtalentedartists]

She loves being a victim, her smile as she said " I am totally breaking stereotypes" is so aggravating!!!!! she is full of herself. May be an official investingation into what she did illegally will wipe that smile from her face.....

[@7521eric]

Ikr. Every time she says " people don't understand my original moves" or " people don't know my artistic vision" I just wanna rage!

[@lawrenceworrell591]

​​@@shayestevens6627 Nah, not really. Her PhD was in the cultural side of things, not the actual physicality of breaking. Just like someone can have a PhD in body mechanics (I've forgotten the formal term), but not be required to be a world class athlete in a sport. Plus there is no uni course on learning how to break. That's a journey you travel on your own volition.

[@cityman2312]

She really belonged in one of the school sport events where everyone gets a prize.

[@wifegrant]

Erm, the Olympics is not a place to, "Have a go" at a sport. You are supposed to be the best of the best. An expert. Someone who had a "go" long ago.

[@kittytrail]

looks like that was really the best 'stralia could produce... 🧐👆

[@amireallythatgrumpy6508]

And it is a place for actual sports, not breakdancing.

[@ethnosunltd7272]

Thats how far lefties think....nothing new

[@steveclewlow1656]

Things that I didn’t realise were much much easier than I thought:- 1. Becoming a professor 2. Getting a PhD 3. Getting into the Olympics

[@showusjustice523]

​@medicalmayhem that, and she has alot of people making fun of her by getting off the couch, trying new things and being active.

[@csailer2353]

@@showusjustice523that’s not why people are making fun of her. In fact I’ve seen very few making fun. They are mostly making fun of the fact she thought she was good enough for the Olympics. There’s nothing wrong with her wanting to breakdance, on her own time, and getting out there doing what she loves. But to be in the Olympics should require a certain amount of skill, which is apparent she does not have.

[@showusjustice523]

@@csailer2353 they are making fun of her and they are doing it by getting off the couch and mocking her performance. Thats why I added to the comment above mine with what I did.

[@usx06240]

Best post of the day

[@Lark572]

I’m gonna thrust myself into the international spotlight with no talent then cry victim when the backlash comes. Modern times suck. Because of the talentless narcissists that populate it

[@Allie-w1l]

Don't forget to write a tell-all book! In fact, start writing it now!

[@stevenwilson8718]

Shes just so good that people don't understand yet!

[@Ranger4402]

American here. You gotta be well past the beginner‘s level for the Olympics. It mocks a sport when someone brutally unqualified gets in. In short, if thousands of high school kids worldwide have more talent than you, then you do not belong in the Olympics. Athletics and swimming routinely violate this standard by the way.

[@ConleySmooge]

If it were a real event, it would be kids competing. Nobody's better at breakdancing than them. Their small bodies allow some B-Boy excellence.

[@JackCarsonite]

Asian B-Boys are basically tops (like dradels) with all their windmills.

[@DragonElixion]

I am a mid-30s with a permanently-injured ankle and (at the time that this all came to light I also had a temporary issue with) respiratory problems and 95% of her "performances" I could do. If I could do them in the state I'm in, it's not Olympic worthy. There are a growing number videos slowly cropping up online of people who are NOT breakdancers showing they can do what she does. It's disgraceful.

[@bruceinmyheart]

​@@DragonElixionYep. I even saw a 96 year old granny copy several of Raygun's moves. 😅

[@uncledarren4262]

I'll say one name... Eddie the Eagle!!!

[@At76812]

Her thinking that as an “olympic athlete” she should be immune from criticisms is somehow even worse than her performance. Like just take the L on the chin and move along.

[@alexguillen9598]

And her considering herself an Olympic level athlete is already crazy enough

[@jeanm27]

Courage is not what you need for Olympics, it's Skill and talent 😂😅

[@sarahwales6276]

Thank you! 👍

[@SashaYery]

💯🏁✨

[@ispendtoomuchtimehere-rip]

Exactly! The Olympics are for the best of the best

[@whiterabit09]

I was in full support of her, until i realised it wasn't the special Olympics.

[@kevinmccabe7263]

Every article I can find insists that Raygun was genuinely the best break dancer Australia could put forward which basically just confirms that Australians are hands down the worst break dancers in the world. CONFIRMED

[@streetmonk001]

😅

[@BCNeil]

Then you don't send anyone. Why don't the Aussies pull this with men's hockey? Why doesn't a Saudi prince hire an ice skating coach for his son, so he can be their Olympic figure skater. She got in. Due to it being a demonstration sport. Where all countries can send someone. There is no Olympic standards

[@arinevermore]

​@@BCNeili don't remember Aussies men's hockey team came out to the field wearing clown costume and making fool of themselves.

[@codinghusky5196]

@@arinevermore his point is that other olympic sports have norms. As in, you have to run 100 m in a certain time to participate in the the Olympic 100 m dash race. It's not like a country can send someone who runs 100 m in 10 minutes just because they don't have anyone faster.

[@bboyfocus12]

do you notice that all events have a male and female category? bboy j attack. What level of searching did you do? instagram memes?

[@edsonpacheco294]

My mom grew up in Los Angeles and would go to the breaking meet-ups with her sisters. She told me that if Raygun had done what she did in those meet-ups, she would be banned for life.

[@Guillelrpr]

She is the literal example of the Big Bang theory joke sketch where you have 5 highly educated guys who know how a combustion engine works but none of them can repair one when their car breaks down. I have a masters in my field and I can say that it is in the day to day practice where you truly develop the real life skills to do your work properly.

[@dogsmusicbookstravelscience]

Great post. I am not anti-academia in any way, knowing how vital much of the research is for a well-functioning society. As a copy-editor, however, I also know how much muck is produced in the pursuit of recognition and prestige, which is tragic. Anyway, I fully concur with your point of view, and I certainly respect your earning a master's degree. It is NOT easy, I know.

[@rosabellavitaalvarez-calde5836]

To be fair, none of them was a trained mechanic or had the tools. Try fixing a broken engine without your tools.

[@nthgth]

​@@rosabellavitaalvarez-calde5836fine, give them the tools. That all it'd take? Shouldn't take long for someone super smart to figure out how to use the tools.

[@pixie12]

I really feel this on a personal level. I don’t know how many times someone has “taught” me something with verbal instruction and then acted like I was stupid when I didn’t understand how to translate that into action. I need to follow a physical representation multiple times until it clicks. The knowledge is important, but ultimately useless if you can’t put it into action.

[@dogsmusicbookstravelscience]

@@pixie12 Same with me. Someone can describe to me in detail how to best fertilise the lawn, for example. But I'm lost when I have to go and do that on my own. Give me a demonstration while explaining why the method is effective, then I'm fine.

[@DILESHAW]

😂 I can’t ever pass up an opportunity to see this car wreak “dance”. So funny to watch. Hard to believe she takes her “break dancing” seriously.

[@KX5Kat]

I find it weird that Australia decided that a cricket uniform from the 90s was the best choice for the Olympics.

[@Unbearable.Unbearable]

I thought she looked like a Subway employee (being tasered on the floor).

[@ibnyahud]

@@Unbearable.Unbearable lol

[@emmagatewood3898]

That outfit suited her performance though. They were both objectively terrible 😅

[@whenpigsfly8178]

@@Unbearable.Unbearable You cracked me up, lol.

[@nthgth]

​@@Unbearable.Unbearable lmao absolutely

[@Peakock-0]

I didn’t watch the Olympics. But I’ve enjoyed the memes

[@brentgilbert4208]

Same!

[@barret-xiii]

Imagine losing the pole vault because you're hung like a horse and got snagged... [Task Failed Successfully]

[@RollerCoasterLineProductions]

The memes have been plentiful

[@katesong661]

Her family and friends failed her. If my husband was dancing like this or my bestie and he/she would talk about going to the olympics, I would nicely and gently talk them out of it.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Yeah. The thing that’s extra stupid is that she should know better, she literally studies gender and race. How did she (and all her friends) not know that even showing up and not performing at an Olympic level, is an exercise of white privelege. This is her job, to understand the boundaries between gender and race in their spaces. How did she and none of her colleagues/friends clock that at all? I simply don’t get it. I mean, i get it, obviously she’s a fool. But i agree with you. She should have known, but if she didn’t she should have been told by others like an intervention.

[@jucimakesthings]

Her husband is also "breakdancing" and he's just as bad and delusional as she is...

[@Malum09]

-"So what's your PhD about?" -"Breakdancing!" -"Like that girl from the Olympics?" -"No... not like that!"

[@mimimonster]

The saddest part about this other than the fact that she embarrassed her entire country, is that there had to have been hundreds of extremely qualified women from the breaking community in Aus that didn’t have an opportunity to represent real talent on the world stage. She is an imposter that stole the spotlight. She should be ashamed of herself, frankly.

[@myblacklab7]

I dunno - the clip she showed of the Australian competition didn't suggest that there are a lot of great female breakdancers in Australia.

[@boobah5643]

@@myblacklab7 Well, that suggests that there is something wrong with that competition, since it apparently excludes the competent. It _does_ reinforce the idea that Australia has something to be ashamed for.

[@peetoose]

Not an excuse for her terrible dancing - But, She didn't steal anything or prevent others from showing up. She was handed the spotlight because noone was paying attention

[@Alldayanyday1OnThePS4]

Australia actually is notably one of the worst countries for breaking, they unfortunately do not have a single Redbull BC One, Freestyle Session, Battle of the Year, UK BBoy Championships, R16 Korea, Silverback Open Championships, IBE (The Notorious IBE), Outbreak Europe, and World BBoy Classic. There has been specifically 2 bboys that have made it it the big stage once and into the Top 16, that's bboy Blond for Redbull BC One for the Asia Pacific Finals making it into the Top 16..and bboy Kazuya who made it into the top 16 for Silverback Open and a few of the other breaking competitions. None of the other bboys or bgirls have made it further than qualifiers for individual rounds, some have made it into top 16 for crew battles. The only other notable bboy now is J-Attack (the 16 year old australian bboy), qualifying into the Olympics and was out first round (don't worry he had an insane round, but he was going against ALL heavy hitters that have been in the breaking scene for a long time) The reason Raygun is quoted to be the best Bgirl in Australia is because she is in fact the BEST bgirl IN Australia, there are other bgirls but not many and not as good as Raygun's qualified for bigger stages even if she never makes it past the qualifier rounds..(you have to qualify in other places before you can make it into the qualifying rounds for the main competition, once you qualify to the main competition then you have to qualify to get into the top 16. she hasn't ever made it past qualifiers)

[@spencerd8504]

@@myblacklab7 I heard that competition was organized in a short notice. And so the real dancers in Australia didn't even get chance to apply or participate. There is also accusation that she is somehow related to someone who was part of the committee. That may also have played a role.

[@beepart1]

I’m always so amazed by folks who completely lack self-awareness, but have this never-ending reserve of confidence. The unembarrassed ability to bullshit your way to the top. Finally exposed as a fraud…but still be able to put the criticism down to ‘hate’. Is that narcissism? Whatever it is, it’s fascinating.

[@matthewkuhl79]

Even in the '80s that wouldn't have passed for breakdance.

[@coffinsnail6930]

so true half the stuff she did wasnt break dancing at all.

[@jamesirving3933]

As someone who grew up in the 80's.... You are 100% correct!

[@kittytrail]

​@@coffinsnail6930 more like she broke dancing without takin' a break... 😋

[@mikko-of6cu]

Yeah, I mean the people that were break dancing in the 80's and are now probably 60+ years old could do a better job than this woman in the olympics. It's embarrassing.

[@alexguillen9598]

She was woke dancing

[@sophlove611]

I absolutely love this. She has managed to bullshit her way All The Way to the Olympics and to have people defend her talent in the sport/art.. This kind of skill should not be overlooked. It gives me great joy and fills me with hope that we can truly achieve Whatever we set our mind to!

[@pittsky]

She has never been told "no" in her woke, air tight silo. She left it and, well, the rest is history.

[@jamesdeininger3759]

This is excellent 😂 I’m stealing this

[@Siamotutti161]

What has that to do with woke?

[@jimmymcguire8217]

​@@Siamotutti161Absolutely everything, open your mind

[@chukyuniqul]

​@@jimmymcguire8217have you read her doctorate thesis? She most certainly identifies as a feminist, and I'll be hard-presses to believe that didn't inform her position in thinking she's entitled to the olympics.

[@chukyuniqul]

​@@jimmymcguire8217whops I @ the wrong person. Can'tbe buggered to fix it, sorry.

[@lostsock9852]

The Olympics are not about "having a go", they're supposed to be *elite*

[@someguy7805]

Except for the Jamaican bobsled team!

[@PoulWrist]

@@someguy7805 They were elite in jamaica

[@someguy7805]

@PoulWrist I'm sure you're right! They were probably the best and worst team - SIMULTANEOUSLY! Because they were the ONLY team in Jamaica! LOL! 🤣

[@TotemoGaijin]

@@someguy7805 Ya know some people say they can't believe.

[@someguy7805]

@@TotemoGaijin Can't believe what?

[@legolads1732]

Thank you for this Sydney. As an Aussie living in Sydney I was totally embarrassed by her 'performance'. Then she said Oh I can't compete with the other girls because I don't have the power moves. The only reason it can be classified as a sport is by the intensity of the power moves. Just as it is in the floor exercise in Gymnastics. She should have sponsored one of the underprivileged female break dancers that we do have in Australia and let someone who has the tenacity to try and win no matter the odds 'have a crack at it'. I hope she keeps getting ridiculed for her 'performance'. We don't actually hate her. But if she wants to play the victim game after her 'performance' she might just be asking for more of the same

[@danmyname]

No matter how many times I've heard about Rachael Gun the, your articulate speech and assessment glued me to my chair and made me want to listen to you the whole way thru.

[@SilverLovesJesus]

Watching the olympics: 😐 Watching MEMES on the Olympics: 🗿

[@Ichthyodactyl]

This year has been quite meme-laden.

[@acedelta12]

They should make creating memes into an Olympic sport

[@ulisessolis3182]

What does "🗿" mean?

[@newt3546]

@@ulisessolis3182🗿

[@whenpigsfly8178]

@@ulisessolis3182 Hmm, not sure, but maybe it refers to being stone-faced trying to take it seriously and not crack a smile, like 'you laugh you lose'.. But maybe I'm totally off-base.

[@pauldoesartstuff7960]

Worst thing is none of the other competitors got even a fraction of the publicity

[@Freenure]

Do you remember any of the Olympic swimmers that participated in the Sydney 2000 Olympics? Probably just the one that almost drowned.

[@EgoFeederz]

@@Freenure Ian thorpe, was a global name after the Sydney Olympics, so where the hell were you?

[@gameburn178]

Don't worry: Canadian here, and our male winner Phil (Wizard) KIm has come home a hero. Not necessarily with the whole public, but with a younger generation that actually didn't know much about breaking. Somehow a new gen had lost track of this amazing dance form.

[@kanefindlay2549]

This is why jobs ask for expiernce and not just a degree

[@M-S_4321]

Her break experience was a break⬇️

[@daleperry1844]

True that

[@eatmeatandliftweights5754]

Her degree is useful if you run out of toilet paper.

[@maifantasia3650]

I was talking to a guy who was telling me how difficult it was for him to attain his degree. How many years he spent at school. How many late nights, weekends and holidays he burned through studying for exams. The joys of attaining First-Class Honours and Distinctions, the disappointment of scoring less than expected. In the end, I had to remind him that I didn't want milk and sugar in my coffee.

[@carlmorgan8452]

Many can teach ..? But actually doing it....few

[@bradmoyer9737]

This was the first time in my 74 years that I didn’t watch the Olympics, after seeing the opening ceremonies. I did see a clip of her performance on the internet, and the first thought that came to mind was Grand Mal.

[@MorgueMage]

I mean the way the lady defended her tells me she knew the whole time Gun was awful. She never once remarked and defended her skill as an athlete as a reason why she should be there. The absence of that says more than the rest of her speech.

[@brucerobertson2245]

A PHD in breakdancing just shows you how woke our university degrees are now

[@stephenw2992]

They are just being inclusive which means they have a way to part anyone with their money

[@seefoghall]

Not just breakdancing, but how sexist it is.

[@rebelduck9077]

What a bullshit thesis. And to think when doing my masters I was scared to death when I came up with my subject: certificate of Citizenship: does being adopted into another country make me a fraudulent citizen. I’m ok with it now 😂

[@venomg5799]

Define 'woke'

[@seefoghall]

@@venomg5799 what is your definition of woke?

[@joshcal7370]

I’m a breakdancer, this was painful. I was against breakdancing in the Olympics in the first place, that’s not what breakdancing is about. But I never imagined something this disgraceful would happen. This woman is utterly disgusting and a stain on breakdancing.

[@alatus7242]

I am not a breakdancer and far for it. This still was painful on a cultural and civilizational level.

[@thelongstory6395]

I'm a bboy too and I'm down for breaking to be in the Olympics, but the standards need to be properly set and adhered to, just like other athletics. But you know how breakers can be... We're lucky if they can organise events and show up on time. The amount of times I've seen an event delayed because one of the judges was out for a smoke...

[@MegaDiva1999]

Qwhite right. Good old appropriation

[@grizzlygrizzle]

Not all that is avant garde contributes to human truth, goodness, beauty, knowledge, or creativity. I'm not into break dancing generally, but I have seen some impressive break dancers (as well as impressive ballet, contemporary dance, and ballroom dancing). When watching the best of these, like any sport or art judged on form, I look for grace, fluidity, control that isn't stiff or halting, and so on. There can be some suddenness and drama, but these should come at the right time with appropriate lead-ins and lead-outs. This goes for dancing, gymnastics, figure skating, equestrian events, and lots more. -- Watching Ray Gun brings to mind three images for me: An epileptic seizure, the contortions of someone in the grip of severe leg cramps, and the spasmodic movements I used to do in those years when I went ocean swimming every New Year's Day in a northern climate (water just about 32 F/ 0 C), in the first moments after I ran into the water and dove in. She may think of her approach as avant garde, but to me there is nothing artful or particularly skillful about it.

[@sw33tialucard]

Can I ask a question? I’m a layman, I always thought breakdancing is what Michael Jackson did but I mostly see people doing stunts…is MJ’s style considered outdated or it’s not breakdancing?

[@lilja4ever261]

I'm glad this video is back, didn't have the time to watch it before it was removed.

[@jwalk31]

I am a dancer, and an international judge, and I also have a lecture on hip hop dancing as whole. More of the history than analysis. But coming from the hip hop community myself, over 30 years, I was very much looking forward to the breaking event in the Olympcis. It's culmination of the struggle that hip hop has gone though for 50 years, being called a fad, a trend, not serious...to now being the top music style and dance style in the world, this was important to so many. And the coverage of it was... disappointing. For me the competitors and the competition itself had to be flawless. We never know when we would get this chance again. And to have a woman like that competing, set us back at least 30 years. And what makes it worse is that this is a person who gets by on lecturing kids about my culture, from a, as you said, technical point of view. Or even a political point of view, not a historical aspect. And the fact that so many people cncentrated on this, totally disrespects the other GOOD competitors, especially in the women's final. The 17 year old from Lithuania (Nicka) was sensational, and still only got silver. And the men's side.... Was as expected, All Star quality. So yes, we in the community don't appreciate all the bad publicity that comes from... I'll say it, a culture vulture, who could not live up to her qualifications as a professor, or b-girl.

[@nb4219]

so true spoken. i am from switzerland and i think the same.

[@russellgraham2112]

I agree but I think it’s more calculated than simple self-delusion. If you read her 2023 article (Global Hip Hop Studies, 4(1), 39-56) she was worried that the olympics would make breakdancing more popular and subject to “transnational commercial organizations and institutional governing bodies” so she did her best to make it unpopular. She wants it local, unregulated and uncommercialised. I don’t think she’s disappointed that the sport has been set back 30 years.

[@Jspec1983]

TOP COMMENT!

[@ArmySoldiersLady]

Thank you for your insight.

[@vincenthammons-kd9du]

culture does not belong to anyone but yeah she made a fool of herself that I Agree

[@locojazzhands]

Not only should she be exposed for her lack of b-talent, but her PhD should also be re-evaluated. The message she's sending is "blah blah blah blah blah..". It's of no relevance or importance to anyone. These academic institutions are exposing the embarrassment and waste of space and resources that they are. PhDs need to be revoked, and the classes RG's lecturing need to seriously be re-evaluated. Any scholarships to these courses need to be scrutinised by other organisations. Teaching people to be dumb and entitled is great for the establishment, but it needs to be called out. Cheers Raygun for that 👍

[@BloopsMcGoo]

For effin real. Aren't these the same people who constantly badger others about "cultural appropriation"? Isn't it appropriation to take hood culture and turn it into your damn PhD thesis career? Idk man. Middle upper class people can turn anything into a tax-funded job, and claim victimhood while doing it. It's wild.

[@turnyourbacktoit]

You don't value a free free Palestine degree ? 😉

[@shooterdownunder]

She doesn’t like to be judged yet she participates in a sport that is scored by judges

[@jacksquat4140]

She probably thought they would just hand her a gold.

[@obiwankenobi661]

the notion that it takes "incredible courage" to go out and compete means youre in the wrong field. any true athlete CANT HELP BUT compete. it is more important than breathing. thats what a passion is. if you need courage to do this, youre probably better off making sandwiches.

[@jacksquat4140]

@@obiwankenobi661: I will try to pitch competitive bird watching and competitive bird feeding to the Olympic Committee. With a little luck, a lot of prayer, undying determination, not to mention uncommon valor - they couldn't possibly say "no".

[@obiwankenobi661]

​@@jacksquat4140 and i will be the first black woman to win a gold medal in competitive bird watching. it will be another bold step in the liberation of women and also for representation of POC.

[@jacksquat4140]

@@obiwankenobi661: This will still be a rough road to hoe, even for a black female participant. Keep in mind that competitive bird watching is not for the faint of heart. Then again, perhaps we should incorporate interpretive dance into the mix, so the world takes us seriously. Now, if you had the courage to become a bisexual black woman that hates the white race, or you at least identify as one, then you are gauranteed a shot at gold for having the courage to be yourself, as long as being yourself is a violation of social norms and moral decency. Question is: are you willing to do everything necessary to win that gold? The world awaits your answer.

[@jacktrades5103]

That intro with the sneaker squeaking is so good 🤣

[@G82Jesse]

"You must walk without rhythm to not attract the Sand Worms" Raygun:

[@p.s.shnabel3409]

You, sir or madam, made me smile. Thank you!

[@jaycollins2036]

we need the video edit of this.

[@planetdisco4821]

LOL! She’s so lacking in rhythm she is invisible to Shai-Hulud

[@whatduck943]

If you walk without rhythm. You never learn.

[@blakewilliams5627]

I feel like break dancing should be handled like figure skating, where at minimum you are expected to do moves like a double axel or something. Like if a figure skater only got like 2 inches off the ground and did a single almost axel, I feel like they would be judged as a bad performer, but that didn’t happen w/ Raygun. They just waived her through.

[@macwyll]

Good point!

[@doritoreiss8089]

Yeah, it would be like if someone who could only do cartwheels made the gymnastics team. 😂

[@TheWatch85]

Oh, there are requirements, it's not that they don't exist, that's why she got incredible ZERO POINTS because she just didn't get anything right. Not before either. It's because of her husband and also because they cheated her into the Olympics. I watched a battle with Ami and her... where Ami lost, why, why, why, everyone probably asked themselves afterwards. At least it's now clear that Ami is world class and RG more than just fabulously bad. Why was she at Olympia?! Nepotism. Her husband is her coach and represents the breakdance association, both of them sit on the Olympic selection committee and chose her. Actually, this is a conflict of interest for me. The question is whether the banner was in advance and whether the entire Australian Committee for the Olympic Games was aware of it. Since each country has its own committee and its own rules, it would be interesting to know whether the rules allow you to vote for yourself as a committee member...

[@gameburn178]

Good idea. I hope someone takes your ideas further.

[@maxherbert592]

That 65 year old break dancing dad with the bratty daughter is so much better than raygun

[@blaziken38]

Dam forgot about him, hope he's doing well

[@SigynRegn]

True.

[@UnicornsPoopRainbows]

Bratty is quite a word choice. Dude got divorced when she was 5 and they didn't have split custody. I could see how a child can feel abandoned by their parent in that situation. Her take is definitely not accurate since she was a kid but that is like almost 2 decades of parenting and obviously she feels like he didnt make enough of an effort to stay connected. His view will be very different, of course. Btw, the daughter also praised his breakdancing skills too. Hopefully they can repair their relationship

[@avioracrown6967]

He is learn breakdancing not from young age 😂 Damn Raygan sucks 😅

[@silentfox8460]

​@blaziken38 last I heard he cut his daughter out of his will and plans on using that money on charities where students really wanna follow their passions

[@karidennis6154]

The olympics aren’t about having a go for the love of god

[@stwolma]

If you are terrible at something, you shouldn't be rewarded; it doesn't matter how hard you try, but rather if you can achieve it.

[@markkravig7410]

She doesn’t JUST call in to question Break Dancing as an Olympic “sport”. She call into question the ENTIRE academic world that is awarding PhDs for silly crap like this. Sorry but no amount of research should qualify for a Doctorate in D&D, Gender Studies, Racial Studies… and now Break Dancing. THE ACADEMIC SYSTEM IS BROKEN!

[@BDaltonYoung]

The system is working perfectly. It now makes more money (salaries, grants, etc) for more people (administrators, professors, etc) than it ever has in the past. It is in higher demand (many jobs pointlessly requiring a four-year degree) and with more possible customers (thanks to low-interest loans subsidized by taxpayers) than ever before. All of this is also accomplished while selling an extremely expensive product (degree costing somewhere upwards of a nice car) that carries no warranty (guarantee of job or profit), and the failure of which will never cause any loss or harm to the seller (former students don't protest their university, professors are not fired for teaching badly, etc). The university system is working exactly as it has been guided (or maybe perverted) by the people who profit from it.

[@caalsigo]

@@BDaltonYoung Yep. Working as intended. Make money for those in charge of the grif and make the peasants dumber. Factories of useful idiots

[@metalrules1135]

Read about the Sokal Squared Greivance Studies affair. Academia is totally broken.

[@hermanrobak1285]

The cool kids call it _Clown World._

[@cherishoneal9108]

What’s wrong with gender or racial studies? I can understand other fields such as Rachel’s, but care to explain.

[@Smirch72]

"There are no points in breaking." How'd you get chosen? "Oh, I got a thousand points to her seven fifty!"

[@hardBoss]

Simply, it had the stench of exclusionary and unearned Eurocentric privilege that Australia has been trying to distance itself from coupled with an art form taken from an underrepresented community. Not to mention rubbing it into everyone’s face with the audacious buffoonery made for a perfect storm of controversy and spectacle.