Naomi Osaka withdraws from the French Open for mental health

This post from that idiot, Candace Owens, is exactly why Osaka is smart to take a break. I am flabbergasted at the need that some people have to publicly criticize someone who has, quite literally, ZERO to do with them. 

For those of you who say media is a part of her job. I agree. The media absolutely made her into a high-earning darling. Isn't there something wrong with that as well? I think back at some of the recent media about Jennifer Love Hewitt and the questions that she was asked as a young teen about her breasts. What is wrong that we, as a society, feel that those are appropriate questions to ask anyone, much less a young kid?

Yes.

Athletes withdraw at the last moment all. the. time - even during the tournament- because of a physical injury that has come on suddenly or THAT THEY THOUGHT WOULD BE BETTER/WELL ENOUGH TO PLAY WITH during the tournament. Mental health issues should be viewed through the same lens, IMO. 

If you (general you) aren’t going to rage against the star athletes in all the sports that withdraw/don’t play their games/matches due to physical injury, even if they don’t announce it until game day (which in most sports they actually don’t, unless it is not possible to hide, like knee surgery), then you shouldn’t rage against Naomi withdrawing for mental health reasons. Yes, people are disappointed/sad that they won’t be able to watch their favorite athlete interact with some type of ball, but I’ve never seen this type of rage before. 

A large part of me thinks that reaction has an unexplored misogynistic underpinning. If it were Djokavic who withdrew for mental health reasons, there would be some hoopla/complaining, but I can’t imagine this public rage that people feel free to hurl at Naomi. I also don’t see male athletes asked the same sexual innuendo questions. Yes, I’m sure there must be some out there - but not to the same degree that female athletes do. And those woman who meet society’s standards of beauty are forced to listen to and answer a lot of them. 

Your boss can’t ask you sexually loaded questions at the workplace - regardless that you have a contract - without there being negative consequences for him/her. The press, in these sports situations, are allowed (and some take pleasure in) to ask whatever sexual or other irrelevant questions they want to. And it isn’t to uncover some crime that is damaging society or giving voice to the unheard (valid reasons for a free press), it is solely for entertainment purposes. I don’t have a mental illness and even I wouldn’t want to sit in front of a post-game/match press conference and be the entertainment when some of the questions are so inappropriate and you don’t know when they are coming. I would feel like I entertained enough doing what I worked my life to do - perform on the court/field. 

Oh yes! I had hoped that that part was clear in my post too. 😀 Withdrawing due to physical injury is “understandable,” withdrawing for a mental health issue is “being a prima donna” due to the stigma. 

I do think that there is also a misogynistic bent to this, because I believe that if it had been Djokavic or Rafa (or another male tennis star), there wouldn’t be the same level of outrage/anger.

Yes.  

And society as a whole wouldn’t be having them - or at least not to the same degree - if Naomi withdrew a month ago. It would have been a blip in the news and people would have moved along without thinking about, discussing and maybe making some changes due to how we treat mental health issues in the workplace. 

And women need to stop being assholes to each other.

Have you not read any of the replies by Elaine or Jeremysgirl?!

1. She can't just easily show up. You have no clue how mental illness works.

2. Good for him. She is not him. She is her own being. With her own conditions. And her own way of dealing with them.

3. What does experience have to do with mental health? So what if she has been doing it for years.

4. Just because it is part of the job doesn't mean it is okay or right.

I'm so grateful for the young who are FORCING us to re-examine the bullshit we've lived w/for far too long.






How do you DARE to presume to speak about what is "easy" for ANOTHER HUMAN?!

She could answer, but to presume it would be EASY means your thinking is part of the problem.

Thank you.

These are not my thoughts. I was quoting what was said yesterday on the tennis channel amoungst the commentators. I am sorry I didn't make that clear enough.
In school I had to get up in class to do speeches in English class and HATED IT. It was part of my grade. I know how she feels.
Those press conferences are annoying and they do ask the women stupid inappropriate questions.

I didn't make my post clear. These are not my thoughts or comments. I was quoting what commentators were stating yesterday on the tennis channel.
I have always thought those press conferences were stupid and they always ask the women inappropriate questions.

No, you probably don’t. Even if you have anxiety and depression, they can affect people differently. 

I am sorry but I hated it and it was uncomfortable for me. I would get physically sick, break out in hives every where. It was awful. It did cause mental stress for me.

No one is saying it wasn’t awful for you or discounting your experience, and I’m very sorry you went through that. It still doesn’t mean you know how she feels. Depression and anxiety are a bitch in their own, but put them together? 

I will state again I was quoting tennis commentators. These are not my feelings toward her. I DON'T know how she feels.
But people here sure do like to tell me how I feel. How I should speak.