Wednesday 11 July 2012

don't cry for me, scotland


Jenny Diski wrote that she didn't like Murray's crying in the LRB blog this week:

I never did mind Murray being dour, or rather, reticent, as if his affect was any of my business, anyway. I hated the satisfaction of the commentators, all of them everywhere, who breathed great sighs of relief as the tears came and the voice choked. I’ve enjoyed the awkwardness of people having to support someone who appeared not to care whether he was liked or not. Watching the on-screen crying jag was like seeing someone who has known that a well is poisoned, but finally given up and drunk from it, because everyone else in the village does.

In a nutshell, I like most of her piece, but I also think she's wrong in quite a deep way - I don't think he gave up and cried because the public demands emotional sportsmen, I think he was upset and he cried. People can take it how they choose, just like they can take him looking petulant how they choose.

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