Mazda Has Michael Phelps Apologize to China

Michael Phelps has apologized to China for smoking weed, and in return keeps his sponsorship from Mazda.

I have one question to ask - Where in the hell is Phelps' apology to the United States, who he let down by breaking the law? Now, IMHO, smoking marijuana is not a big deal, but if he had to make an apology, why only to China?

In the end, it's not about the apology. It's about the money.

Article is here.

danarhea said:

I have one question to ask - Where in the hell is Phelps' apology to the United States, who he let down by breaking the law? Now, IMHO, smoking marijuana is not a big deal, but if he had to make an apology, why only to China?

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He didn't let us down for smoking weed. He let us down by apologizing for smoking weed. The demonisation of marijuana continues.

I'll apologize for not being upset for $50.

I'll apoligize for a nickel bag:mrgreen:

winston53660 said:

I'll apoligize for a nickel bag:mrgreen:

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:rofl:rofl

danarhea said:

Michael Phelps has apologized to China for smoking weed, and in return keeps his sponsorship from Mazda.

I have one question to ask - Where in the hell is Phelps' apology to the United States, who he let down by breaking the law? Now, IMHO, smoking marijuana is not a big deal, but if he had to make an apology, why only to China?

In the end, it's not about the apology. It's about the money.

Article is here.

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Mazda stays off the list..., Kellogs, and Subway remain on the no-buy list, for being so heavy handed over such a minor fault in this great athlete... a fualt / behavior which occured long after the olympics.

Rodney said:

Mazda stays off the list..., Kellogs, and Subway remain on the no-buy list, for being so heavy handed over such a minor fault in this great athlete... a fualt / behavior which occured long after the olympics.

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I would never buy a Mazda. I like my Toyota. I usually eat a General Mills cereral, though I may go out of my way to buy a Kellogg's cereal on my next Costco run (though I do use other Kellogg products) and I will continue to go to Subway two times a week. :mrgreen:

Hatuey said:

He didn't let us down for smoking weed. He let us down by apologizing for smoking weed. The demonisation of marijuana continues.

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My point was that he apologized to China so he could keep an endorsement.

It's amazing the support for Phelps because he won gold medals, however, if some off the beat person was caught for this most of the respondants would have just said he got what he deserved.

It's amazing how some people perpetuate the "Just because you are famous, you are allowed to break the law".

I don't believe marijuana should be illegal and as such don't believe most people in prison for marijuana should be there, however, it is amazing that some swim **** that won gold medals get's a pass from many of the "Marijuanna should be illegal" crowd just because he won gold medals.

If you support phelps because you feel marijuanna should be legal, than my hats off to you and I support you. However, if you are one of this **** ass conservatives that thinks marijuanna should be illegal, but support phelps decision to smoke pot just because he won gold medals, you are ****ing hypocrites.

TheNextEra said:

It's amazing the support for Phelps because he won gold medals, however, if some off the beat person was caught for this most of the respondants would have just said he got what he deserved.

It's amazing how some people perpetuate the "Just because you are famous, you are allowed to break the law".

I don't believe marijuana should be illegal and as such don't believe most people in prison for marijuana should be there, however, it is amazing that some swim **** that won gold medals get's a pass from many of the "Marijuanna should be illegal" crowd just because he won gold medals.

If you support phelps because you feel marijuanna should be legal, than my hats off to you and I support you. However, if you are one of this **** ass conservatives that thinks marijuanna should be illegal, but support phelps decision to smoke pot just because he won gold medals, you are ****ing hypocrites.

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I am NOT giving him a pass. I haven't from the beginning. Will I forgive him? He seems contrite and if he truly admits that he was wrong, I have no reason not to. But not only have I not criticized Kellogg for their actions, I praise them for it. Phelps is a role model to young people. If I had any doubt of his importance to young swimmers before, just hearing the kids at the pool talking about him after this happened confirmed it. And if kids in TAIWAN are talking about him like this, I can only imagine what American kids and kids in other swimming-strong countries are saying about it.

ludahai said:

But not only have I not criticized Kellogg for their actions, I praise them for it.

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Are you the same ludahai who complained about Guinness, a private company, not including a Bull Fighting record in it's list? Well. So much for 'Cultural Imperialism'.

ludahai said:

Will I forgive him? He seems contrite and if he truly admits that he was wrong, I have no reason not to.

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My problem with it is that with some 'yahoo" they would be put in jail or probation. Not with the Olympic god Phelps though.

So the precedence that is set is that if you are rich and famous you get a "free pass" without any community service or jail time if you break the law.

Is that the right message to send?

Forget whether or not pot smoking and peripheral is wrong or right, it is illegal NOW.

Should we grant immunity from the famous and rich just because they are rich and/or famous?

danarhea said:

Michael Phelps has apologized to China for smoking weed, and in return keeps his sponsorship from Mazda.

I have one question to ask - Where in the hell is Phelps' apology to the United States, who he let down by breaking the law? Now, IMHO, smoking marijuana is not a big deal, but if he had to make an apology, why only to China?

In the end, it's not about the apology. It's about the money.

Article is here.

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Sounds like a requirement by an employer in order for him to keep his income. It's always about the money with these things.

TheNextEra said:

My problem with it is that with some 'yahoo" they would be put in jail or probation. Not with the Olympic god Phelps though.

So the precedence that is set is that if you are rich and famous you get a "free pass" without any community service or jail time if you break the law.

Is that the right message to send?

Forget whether or not pot smoking and peripheral is wrong or right, it is illegal NOW.

Should we grant immunity from the famous and rich just because they are rich and/or famous?

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Of course not, but that is what we are doing. 8 people in that photo have now been arrested. Phelps has NOT been arrested. In addition, Phelps did not go to jail on a DUI charge in 2004. If it was you or me, the outcome would be quite different. Tell me - Where is the fairness in that?

danarhea said:

Of course not, but that is what we are doing. 8 people in that photo have now been arrested. Phelps has NOT been arrested. In addition, Phelps got off scott free on a DUI charge too in 2004. Tell me - Where is the fairness in that?

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I agree Phelps should have been arrested and kicked off the team.

Sorry, but he did an illegal act that was CAUGHT on picture that he HIMSELF admitted to ONLY AFTER IT WAS MADE PUBLIC.

But since he is a gold medalist, there are law apologists that feel he should remain on the team and continue his reign of being famous and above the law.

If this was some joe blow who was denied a job due to this, no PHELPS supporter would have batted an eye to denying him his job and maybe would have included a comment of "how he shouldn't have engaged in this type of behavior".

Hatuey said:

Are you the same ludahai who complained about Guinness, a private company, not including a Bull Fighting record in it's list? Well. So much for 'Cultural Imperialism'.

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And just how are the two situations comparable?

Kellogg, Phelps, and myself are all products of the same culture - American. Where is the "cultural imperialism" here?

TheNextEra said:

My problem with it is that with some 'yahoo" they would be put in jail or probation. Not with the Olympic god Phelps though.

So the precedence that is set is that if you are rich and famous you get a "free pass" without any community service or jail time if you break the law.

Is that the right message to send?

Forget whether or not pot smoking and peripheral is wrong or right, it is illegal NOW.

Should we grant immunity from the famous and rich just because they are rich and/or famous?

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One thing I do not know is do most pot smokers go to jail? I believe Phelps should be treated no differently as any other person. It won't happen though. I was a collegiate athlete and I know that athletes are treated differently than everyone else. It isn't right, but that is the reality.

ludahai said:

One thing I do not know is do most pot smokers go to jail?

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If caught? They go to jail or do community service.

ludahai said:

I believe Phelps should be treated no differently as any other person. It won't happen though. I was a collegiate athlete and I know that athletes are treated differently than everyone else. It isn't right, but that is the reality.

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And that is the problem I have, he should lose his endorsements, he should be kicked off the U.S. team.

Why? Because he thumbed his nose at the law as a U.S. team member.

Again, I don't agree with Marijuanna use being illegal, but it is. He, as a REPRESENTATIVE OF THE U.S. did this so he should be kicked off the team.

Anything other than this shows that celebriteis have a different standard to the law than others.

If he isn't kicked from the team we might as well establish a court of law that is for celebrities and a court that is for other folks.

ludahai said:

And just how are the two situations comparable?

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Privately owned companies making decisions they feel they need to make. You complained about one. Bull fighting. And not the other. Michael Phelps having to apologize for smoking a bowl.

Kellogg, Phelps, and myself are all products of the same culture - American. Where is the "cultural imperialism" here?

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Since when are you a Taiwanese, wheat farming Olympic swimmer? In any case. You seem to either A) not know what cultural imperialism means or B) be playing stupid. I'm pretty sure it's the later.

Where Phelps is being made to apologize by his PRIVATE sponsors for his 'wrongdoing' to a foreign market. You seem to have no problem with this. Going as far as supporting the idea. I mean why not? Why shouldn't a private company like Mazda make it's flagship employee apologize for potentially making the company look bad? Mazda and Kelloggs don't want to be associated with a pot smoking 23 year old kid. Who does? Wait. Don't answer that.

If you were consistent in this mentality, which you are not, supported by the fact that you ran away from the debate and never posted again. Then you would also have supported Guinness in their move to not want to be associated with Bull Fighting. Why would they want to be associated with an activity where an innocent animal is killed for the viewing pleasure of thousands? That is simply not part of our culture. Is it? Just like you don't consider it part of your culture for people to be engaging in the use of drugs.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is you're a hypocrite. If Guinness, Mazda, Kellogg or for that matter ANY private company considers it that they don't want their P.R.s to be associated in any way with activities, subjects or actions which they don't consider to be positive or that they'll help the project be better in any way then they have every right to do so. And calling the actions of one cultural imperialism while not the other shows a clear lack of understanding of what cultural imperialism is. Or at worst a bias.

Your move.

Jesus people. He committed a misdemeanor. It's like a speeding ticket. Oh, the horrror. :roll:

independent_thinker2002 said:

Jesus people. He committed a misdemeanor. It's like a speeding ticket. Oh, the horrror. :roll:

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Thank 'Conservative Christian America' for destroying the image of marijuana. No. Seriously. I blame this on Christians Conservatives and their imperialist choke hold and legislative rape of everything they don't approve of. Go as far back as 50 years ago and you'll see a ton of public service announcements screaming about the evils of smoking weed. How it'll lead to hanging out with girls and having sex. Who do you think came up with that ****? Jews? Muslims? Liberals? Atheists?

Actually, boycotting Kellogg's is a good idea. Their cereal is crap, and it is not good for you. A boycott could save the lives of a few people.

Hatuey said:

Thank 'Conservative Christian America' for destroying the image of marijuana. No. Seriously. I blame this on Christians Conservatives and their imperialist choke hold and legislative rape of everything they don't approve of. Go as far back as 50 years ago and you'll see a ton of public service announcements screaming about the evils of smoking weed. How it'll lead to hanging out with girls and having sex. Who do you think came up with that ****? Jews? Muslims? Liberals? Atheists?

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Thank FDR and the New Deal Democrats for enacting the legislation required to demonize a plant. They had the numbers.

the American Medical Association, from 1932, straight through 1937, had systematically opposed every single piece of New Deal legislation and the democrats were quite sick of them. They chose to ignore their advice related to the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.

Hatuey said:

Privately owned companies making decisions they feel they need to make. You complained about one. Bull fighting. And not the other. Michael Phelps having to apologize for smoking a bowl.

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Again, I don't see how Guiness not publishing a world record and a corporate sponsor forcing Phelps to apologize is comparable. Actually, for the record, I DO NOT support Phelps on this issue - which you would have figured out if you actually READ my posts.

Since when are you a Taiwanese, wheat farming Olympic swimmer? In any case. You seem to either A) not know what cultural imperialism means or B) be playing stupid. I'm pretty sure it's the later.

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I am U.S.-born and still hold US citizenship AND was an Olympic aspirant before a knee injury and then ankle injury ended that. I have been an elite level athlete and even now am still a very high level one. I am a little closer to this than you are I suspect.

Where Phelps is being made to apologize by his PRIVATE sponsors for his 'wrongdoing' to a foreign market. You seem to have no problem with this.

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Really? Where did you get THAT idea. You obviously are NOT reading my posts. I have a problem with this all right. Frankly, it is up to Phelps to decide if he wants to apologize or not. Mazda FORCING an apology makes it seem insincere. If he makes a sincere apology, I am inclined to forgive for two reasons: One: I understand the pressures of being a high-level athlete better than most (or all) on this board. and Two: I am a Catholic and foriveness is a core element of our belief.

Going as far as supporting the idea. I mean why not? Why shouldn't a private company like Mazda make it's flagship employee apologize for potentially making the company look bad? Mazda and Kelloggs don't want to be associated with a pot smoking 23 year old kid. Who does? Wait. Don't answer that.

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And I have applauded Kellogg and Subway for their actions in this regard.

If you were consistent in this mentality, which you are not, supported by the fact that you ran away from the debate and never posted again. Then you would also have supported Guinness in their move to not want to be associated with Bull Fighting. Why would they want to be associated with an activity where an innocent animal is killed for the viewing pleasure of thousands? That is simply not part of our culture. Is it? Just like you don't consider it part of your culture for people to be engaging in the use of drugs.

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I didn't run away from the debate. I participate in threads I have the time to participate in. Right now, school is in session (I am a full time teacher) and I am preparing for East Asian Games trials in two events. Makes me a little busy to keep up with EVERY debate.

TheNextEra said:

My problem with it is that with some 'yahoo" they would be put in jail or probation. Not with the Olympic god Phelps though.

So the precedence that is set is that if you are rich and famous you get a "free pass" without any community service or jail time if you break the law.

Is that the right message to send?

Forget whether or not pot smoking and peripheral is wrong or right, it is illegal NOW.

Should we grant immunity from the famous and rich just because they are rich and/or famous?

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No the YAHOO would not serve jail time - smoking pot if caught is a misdemeanor. I'm glad the other yahoos were arrested, especially the "friend" that sold the picture of phelps smoking the bong to the tabloid, and the idiot trying to sell the offensive bong on ebay. :doh They were using him as a cash cow. Talk about skanks.