Tatyana Limanova, one of Russia’s most popular and respected newscasters, has been fired from her job at REN TV, after a video of her appearing to give President Barack Obama the middle finger on live TV went viral on the internet.
The incident occurred on Nov. 14, during a segment about Russian President Dmitry Medvedev assuming the chairmanship of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. Obama had held the position previously, and Limanova raised her middle finger as she read Obama’s name.
Limanova said that the incident was an embarrassing misunderstanding — she did not know that she was on camera and was directing the gesture at studio technicians. “I thought I was out of shot,” she said, according to The Telegraph.
The TV station, however, decided to remove her from her position on air. “This does not diminish her guilt and cannot be considered an excuse. The REN TV management views this action as the gravest violation of on-air discipline and a demonstration of unprofessionalism,” the channel said, according to RIA.
“A decision has been taken that T Limanova cannot and will not continue to work on the REN TV channel as a presenter,” the station said in a statement, according to The Daily Mail.
Before becoming a blog mistress, I wouldn’t have even asked what I consider the obvious–should Tatyana Limanova have been fired. Obviously yes. Now remember, I was a child of the 50’s. I grew up on a good cultural dose of hating the commie pinko bastards. It was everywhere. I knew that they wanted to kill us all in the worst imaginable way (Forget that we wanted to do the same to them.). I remember somewhere along the line Premier Nikita Khrushchev removing his shoe and banging it on the table in the UN during someone’s speech. So giving someone the finger, in my mind, even today, barely gets noticed. Fingers, shoes, whatever.
An Iraqi reporter threw a shoe at our sitting president, George Bush during a visit to Iraq. That was rude and the shoe-thrower was wrestled to the ground, stood trial, and Lord knows where he is now. I was outraged. Although not a Bush fan, he was OUR president. He was treated disrespectfully.
Enough setting the stage, enough editorializing, Mistress Moon, ask the question. Should the Russian newscaster have been fired, reprimanded etc and if yes or no, why? Russia just seems like it is becoming a problem again.
Those commie pinko *sshats. They are NOT allowed to mess with a symbol of our great nation – the President.
That is only for US citizens to do. 😉
And my peoples that are not of legal status.. They don’t get to do it either.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/8918725/Russian-newsreader-fired-after-giving-Barack-Obama-finger-Firing-me-was-sense-of-humour-failure.html
This story is probably true. The middle finger doesn’t mean the same thing to a Russian as it does to us. The Russians put their thumb between the index and middle finger and move the thumb back and forth to convey the equivalent message. (Yes, I know how to make obscene hand gestures in many, many countries)
@Cato
So why is giving the finger called giving the ‘international sign of contempt?’
Something tells me that gesture to Obama goes on a lot behind closed doors these days! If everyone gets fired for doing it, then maybe that’s why unemployment is so high ; )
@Moon-howler
Probably because American culture is so prevalent.
Example….English citizens have to be reminded to call THEIR emergency number, NOT 911, because they see it so much on TV.
@Cargosquid
“Example….English citizens have to be reminded to call THEIR emergency number, NOT 911, because they see it so much on TV.”
The British make me laugh. I love telling the brit’s on facebook that they ain’t citizens but SUBJECTS.
Going back to the…call their own 999.. Why don’t we just take them over and be done with it? Rename Buckingham to “The Ronald W. Reagan London Annex”
Too soon?
@marinm
How about the Margaret Thatcher Reading Room instead?
So about the Russian journalist? Do you approve of her doing this?
Dunno. Maybe because we think the entire world should speak English and use the same hand gestures we do. I do know for a fact that the average Russian does something very different what his hand when he wants to say FU.
Does anyone really give a rat’s behind about this? What a waste of band width.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_(gesture)
Check here as to the meaning of giving someone “The Bird”–mostly western culture–not necessarily the “international sign of contempt”. But very old sign.