General Yuzuru Chat

[YuzuSkating_IsTheTruth]

Hi all, having enjoyed reading the contents here for a few years, I've finally muster the courage to join u guys (am wary of toxicity on social media). I know this is late but I want to share my thots on the last torchbearer for Tokyo Olympics.

Tokyo 2020 is a special Olympics because it is held in exceptionable times, in the midst of a pandemic and under widespread unhappiness and protests by the Japanese public. Under such unusual circumstances, I would expect the last torchbearer to be an exceptional athlete and human being – Yuzu. In line with the Olympic’s message of solidarity, peace and resilience, concept of “Moving Forward” (recovering from the pandemic), Yuzu has so much more to offer to the world as an individual, on top of an outstanding and inspirational athlete.

In 2011, as a 16-year-old high school student, he experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake. He survived this major catastrophe and went on to win his first Olympic gold medal. Fast forward to 2021, he is a two-time Olympic champion, with a long list of other competitive career achievements and accolades, philanthropist, graduate of Japan’s Waseda University.

Currently, many countries are experiencing xx number of waves due to the Delta variant, many lives are thrown into chaos with lockdowns and restrictions, protests, loss of jobs/lives, school closures, etc. Recently, China and parts of Europe are experiencing flooding.

Similarly, Yuzu has been affected by earthquakes in Japan while trying his best to live responsibly amidst the pandemic, keeping his asthma, a chronic disease at bay and chasing his childhood dream of landing a 4A. His life story is relatable to many of us.

I know it’s an unpopular opinion to get Yuzu involved in this Olympic, but I can’t think of any other Japanese athlete that is more inspirational than him. I was hoping that by putting him in the spotlight and sharing his life story , he can be a light, bringing hope and healing to  many more outside the FS community.

[yuzuangel]

[NEWS]

 

Other athletes appreciating Yuzu  

[Anni]

18 hours ago, Fay said:

Just a hundred views away from 2m! Edit: yay, over 2000000 views now! 

 

 Congratulations 

I hope we will see LMEY maybe as gala program again. 🙏

 

 

 

@YuzuSkating_IsTheTruth

Welcome to the Planet 

 

 

[gaia]

good mornig-afternoon-evening everyone

here's the direct link to google form for the updated fanyu's map for those who don't have twitter ( @Yuzuwinnie I hope this works for you)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeKh66oovLAEA4afRz-N8o7zmkPG-4xZTJIS_2wE2SUHDrS6w/viewform

[Anni]

10 minutes ago, gaia said:

good mornig-afternoon-evening everyone

here's the direct link to google form for the updated fanyu's map for those who don't have twitter ( @Yuzuwinnie I hope this works for you)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeKh66oovLAEA4afRz-N8o7zmkPG-4xZTJIS_2wE2SUHDrS6w/viewform

 

Thank you @gaia

I have just filled out the form.

 

 

[YuzuSkating_IsTheTruth]

39 minutes ago, Anni said:

 Congratulations 

I hope we will see LMEY again as gala program. 🙏

 

 

 

@YuzuSkating_IsTheTruth

Welcome to the Planet 

 

 

Thank you🙂

[Guest Mary_kyo]

6 hours ago, thebellsjar said:

I'm just curious of what other FS fans think of that and the planet is the only "safe space" for me to post without being accused of being a blind fanyu just for not really vibing with Nathan.

My understanding of situation is that there are bunch of his fans who are extremely disgusting and homophobic and are going with the take: “My king! You did nothing wrong! Yes, let’s make FS straight again!”. The second group are the ones who already KNEW this was his mindset from his past interviews and are not even surprised. The third group are the ones who think he just messed up in an interview, apologized and should be given a benefit of doubt. fans here belong to the second and third groups.

 

I’m in the second group myself lol But sadly I think nothing is going to be changed and this will be swept under the rug because he is the poster boy for the ISU’s troublesome mindset.

 

Also about scoring issue, my personal belief is that someone who is “continuously” involved in injustice towards others is not a decent person. The least he could do was to try to match his scores not justify them by saying he worked hard.

 

BTW, Olympic Seimei reached 18+ million views (and 500k+ likes).

[Anni]

On 6/30/2021 at 10:13 PM, LadyLou said:

Congrats to SEIMEI-sama for 17 millions! now time to bring it at 18

 

 

 

Currently over 18 Mio views 

 

Congrats to Olympic Seimei
....one of my favorite programs 

 

 

Edit: @Mary_kyowas faster😉

 

[Purple]

7 hours ago, thebellsjar said:

Hi besties, I hope everybody is doing great. I've been a bit out of the loop on the FS drama since the Formula 1 championship took over my whole life (ikr the duality of man, I love pretty ice skating performances and fast cars going vroom vroom and both worlds have so much drama!), so anyway, I read what Nathan Chen said about figure skating being a "LGBTQ dominated sport", and LMAO boy he set himself up for the backfire with that one, and then kind of apologised for saying that. BUT I try to be as fair as possible and not hate on him for things he can't avoid, like being madly overscored in situations he clearly didn't deserve * coughs any of his PCS tbh coughs * so I would like to hear the take from you girlies since I'm too lazy and tbh don't care enough about him to do a proper research. Do you guys think he was genuinely misinterpreted or he's just trying to save some face now? I'm sorry if this topic has already been covered a lot here, I'm not trying to shit stirr, I'm just curious of what other FS fans think of that and the planet is the only "safe space" for me to post without being accused of being a blind fanyu just for not really vibing with Nathan.

Anyway, sorry if this is a touchy topic or if I'm breaking any rules for bringing this up so late in the game, I'm just really lost lol.

Its discussed in the Team USA thread :

https://planethanyu.com/topic/59-team-usa/page/116/

 

I agree with the forumers there that Nathan's apology sounds scripted, writted by his agency.He's just saying the politically correct thing that he's supposed to say in public.

 

I'm also of the opinion that what Nathan said in the interview was what he really thinks abt FS & perception of FS in the US.

And that he shouldnt try to make all manly & acrobatic only, cos that will remove the essense of what FS is -> art + athleticism. Which is something that Yuzuru has said & embraces. The art part is what makes FS a unique sport.

 

[YuzuSkating_IsTheTruth]

1 hour ago, Anni said:

 

 

Currently over 18 Mio views 

 

Congrats to Olympic Seimei
....one of my favorite programs 

 

 

Edit: @Mary_kyowas faster😉

 

The spirit and soul of a Champion shines through this Oly Simei, making it extra special to me.

[KatjaThera]

(who knew I'd make my comeback here talking about Nathan )

 

I know this topic has mostly moved to the Team USA thread, but since it has been discussed here again and there has also been some discussion about how Yuzu's attitude towards the subject is so very different from Nathan's, I hope it's ok to share a few thoughts of my own. But just in case, I'll hide it under a spoiler.

 

Spoiler

 

First, I am in no way defending Nathan. I believe what he said was wrong and that, contrary to what many of his fans think, he's old enough and experienced enough in the world of Figure Skating, to know better than to say things like this - regardless of where he himself stands. (I'll get back to this.) His apology also sounds like a PR statement - if he really wrote it himself, then good for him, but I find it very hard to believe - and it would have been much easier to accept if he'd gone into details: what he said that was wrong, why he said it in the first place, why he now realized it's wrong, what is wrong about it and what he should have said instead. That's how you show you've learned a lesson, especially on a serious topic like this, not just by saying: I'm sorry, I was wrong. Just about anyone can say that, whether they understand why they were wrong or not.

 

That being said, I don't think it's entirely fair to compare his attitude to Yuzu's. They have very different upbringings and circumstances growing up. Nathan comes from a pretty conservative environment and he was probably always spoon fed toxic masculinity, while I'm not sure Yuzu had to deal with that much, at least not until he started competing internationally. On top of that, Yuzu grew up imitating his sister, looking up to female skaters, idolizing Johnny Weir, then training with a gay coach, having gay choreographers and generally being in an environment where it was ok to like whatever you wanted and be whomever you wanted to be, without anyone caring much about any kind of stereotypes. I tend to doubt Nathan ever had that. Instead he was probably always told to be a man, to not be girly, to be straight and so on. I can imagine that stuff like that is really hard to shake off. However, Nathan should have educated himself more. He's been a top figure skater for long enough to know better than to say things like this, regardless of what he actually thinks.

 

And I do think a politically correct answer - even if not honest - would have been ok. At the end of the day, a lot of people have biases and prejudices. Some, obviously worse than others. Those can be really hard to change. It's not as simple as flipping a switch and sometimes they're so deep seated that just knowing the facts that disqualify them is not enough. Like, you know it's wrong, but that impression is so ingrained in you that it's hard to shake off. I have stuff like that, too, and I think a lot of people do. What makes a difference is whether you allow those to interfere with the way you act. It's fine if Nathan feels artistry is gay and he hates it for that reason. It's not fine if he says it and judges his fellow skaters based on that. It's fine if Nathan hates sequins. It's not fine if Nathan says sequins are gay and the male skaters wearing them are somehow lesser. Basically, Nathan can think whatever he wants, as long as he doesn't let it affect his actions towards and words about others. That's why, him giving a politically correct answer would have been fine. First, none of us would have known for sure what he was really thinking. Second, a lot of people hurt by his words would not have been hurt anymore. However, saying the stuff he did and THEN coming with what appears and feels like a PR/politically correct just to be politically correct apology, is not ok. It comes off as fake and trying to get away easily, while an initial politically correct answer might have made some suspicious, but most wouldn't have paid much attention to it. I think it would be great if this really would become a learning opportunity for Nathan, though, including learning more about himself, too.

 

I do think Yuzu was fortunate to grow up in the environment he did and that he was free to explore everything the way he did. Maybe he would have done the same even in a more conservative environment. Who knows? It's hard to say how much one's environment influences one's personality and approach to things. But either way, he was lucky and so are we that we got to watch him skate and enjoy everything he's brought to the world of Figure Skating.

 

 

[Geo1]

I like the way Chuck Culpepper of the Washington Post described Yuzu in an article regarding Hideki Matsuyama, the Masters Champion golfer:

 

"Matsuyama finished tied for 16th with Michael Jordan in a Sasakawa Sports Foundation survey of Japan's most popular athletes in late summer 2020, well behind names such as Shohei Ohtani (No. 3) and Naomi Osaka (No. 4) and impossibly brilliant figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (No. 1)."

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/07/29/hideki-matsuyama-olympic-golf/

 

[Henni147]

2 hours ago, KatjaThera said:

(who knew I'd make my comeback here talking about Nathan )

 

I know this topic has mostly moved to the Team USA thread, but since it has been discussed here again and there has also been some discussion about how Yuzu's attitude towards the subject is so very different from Nathan's, I hope it's ok to share a few thoughts of my own. But just in case, I'll hide it under a spoiler.

 

Welcome back to the Planet, Katja! Hope, you will post more often again, you were really missed  

Thank you for sharing your differentiated opinion on this spicy topic. As this is the General Yuzu Chat, I try to reduce my feedback to the Yuzu-related parts.

 

I agree that Yuzu's social environment probably played a key role in the development of his world view, values and attitude towards life, including the perception, acceptance and treatment of other people.

However, I remember his former classmates reporting how Yuzu used to defend fellow students, who had been bullied or excluded at school, and even made friends with them. From what I read, he was not that type of kid who bent the knee to peer groups and followed the mainstream in order to appear "cool". He followed his own convictions and principles from very young age.

The experiences of Tohoku 3-11 probably contributed a lot to Yuzu's early maturity, growth and wise way of thinking, but the foundation must have been layed in his childhood already. This does not happen from one day to the next.

 

 

Of course, it is hard to fundamentally change your attitude, even as an adult. You cannot simply push the reset button, drop your family, your friends and leave everything behind. When you haven't been in touch with anything else but a social surrounding with a bigoted world view, it's difficult to break out and go your own way. (Footnote: when you are training with Adam Rippon and dating Amber Glenn, you cannot say that you've never experienced different perspectives, though)

 

However, when you represent a sport as a world champion, it's your job to learn to give proper interviews and think before you say something. Receiving a medal also means to take the responsibilities that go along with it. You become an ambassador of your sport and it's your duty to live up to that status. This is the step that sets the true champions and role models apart from the rest. This is one of the reasons why Yuzu is so loved and respected as an athlete and a person.

[Yuzuwinnie]

7 hours ago, gaia said:

hello-afternoon-evening to all

here is the direct link to google form for the update of the fanyu map for those who do not have twitter (@Yuzuwinnie Hope this will work for you)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeKh66oovLAEA4afRz-N8o7zmkPG-4xZTJIS_2wE2SUHDrS6w/viewform

 

 

I thank you very much for this gesture and GAIA, like Annie, I filled out the form   

[KatjaThera]

32 minutes ago, Henni147 said:

 

Welcome back to the Planet, Katja! Hope, you will post more often again, you were really missed  

Thank you for sharing your differentiated opinion on this spicy topic. As this is the General Yuzu Chat, I try to reduce my feedback to the Yuzu-related parts.

 

I agree that Yuzu's social environment probably played a key role in the development of his world view, values and attitude towards life, including the perception, acceptance and treatment of other people.

However, I remember his former classmates reporting how Yuzu used to defend fellow students, who had been bullied or excluded at school, and even made friends with them. From what I read, he was not that type of kid who bent the knee to peer groups and followed the mainstream in order to appear "cool". He followed his own convictions and principles from very young age.

The experiences of Tohoku 3-11 probably contributed a lot to Yuzu's early maturity, growth and wise way of thinking, but the foundation must have been layed in his childhood already. This does not happen from one day to the next.

 

 

Of course, it is hard to fundamentally change your attitude, even as an adult. You cannot simply push the reset button, drop your family, your friends and leave everything behind. When you haven't been in touch with anything else but a social surrounding with a bigoted world view, it's difficult to break out and go your own way. (Footnote: when you are training with Adam Rippon and dating Amber Glenn, you cannot say that you've never experienced different perspectives, though)

 

However, when you represent a sport as a world champion, it's your job to learn to give proper interviews and think before you say something. Receiving a medal also means to take the responsibilities that go along with it. You become an ambassador of your sport and it's your duty to live up to that status. This is the step that sets the true champions and role models apart from the rest. This is one of the reasons why Yuzu is so loved and respected as an athlete and a person.

Thank you very much! I will try to post more often again! (I have been watching you all from the shadows of my twitter account, though )

 

And actually, I fully agree with what you've said. The point of my post was rather to extend the perspective rather than to disagree with anything. It felt like some people were just expecting Nathan to have the same attitude as Yuzu and I wanted to explain a bit why I think that's impossible. But I fully agree that ALL athletes and especially champions in all sports have responsibilities towards their peers and the sport as a whole. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. It's really sad that many athletes shrug this off.

 

In FS, especially given the delicate topics, a World Champion should stand up for their sport, for their fellow skaters. The go to answer to questions like the one Nathan was asked should always be along the lines of "I respectfully disagree. Figure Skating is an amazing sport with great diversity in every possible way and I believe everyone should celebrate that. All the disciplines are full of very talented and hard-working athletes who approach the sport in different and interesting ways. I believe the general public should put aside their prejudices and give it a look with an open mind. I'm sure many of them will be very pleasantly surprised." How wonderful would answers like this be? You'd think with the way so many people look down on FS, skaters would have more of a "us against the world" mentality...

 

It still astounds me sometimes, the the ISU, instead of fully supporting the guy who lives and breathes FS, who's dedicated his entire life to it, who loves the sport more than anyone else and has contributed to its popularity more than anyone else and who has constantly tried to make the sport better, they support the guy who appears to be doing to pass the time and check some points on his resume and who shuns parts of what makes FS what it is and who apparently wants to change it to make it more appealing to people who probably won't care even then. It literally makes no sense... but well, that's ISU for you...