Many people believe it is also time to cancel another popular member of ski culture, Andrew Parry. You may know him from such series as
“Line Traveling Circus.”
For many, Parry is a long-standing and beloved member of skiing’s longest running series.
But for some, he is a sinister figure that represents the creation of vulgar and discriminatory phrases, describing violence against vulnerable and marginalized population groups.
The first example of the aforementioned phrases is the name of a so-called “wizard trick” created by Parry: the “baby crusher.” As many of us may know, babies (also known as infants) are some of the most vulnerable members of the human race. They are small, physically weak, uneducated, and equipped with a soft spot on their head that allows damage to be done with very little effort. Why do we allow such malicious phrases to be invented, portraying violence toward these undeveloped yet lovable creatures?
The second example is yet another one of Parry’s wizard tricks, the “hippy killer.”
The term “hippy” is often synonymous with dirty, stinky, unkempt, pseudo-spiritual bums with poor hygiene, who contribute very little to our civilized society. Despite these shortcomings, hippies are some of the most cherished and influential members of the ski community. Should we allow these threats of violence and death to be so prevalent against them just because of their unnatural dreads, appropriation of rasta lion imagery, and stench of ganja smoke?
I think not.
The third, final, and arguably most offensive example of Parry’s bigotry and lack of regard for persecuted peoples can once again be found in the name of a wizard trick… the “gypsy killer.”
Romani people, more commonly known as “gypsies,” are a race of nomadic people with a widespread global population, the majority of which can be found in Europe and Western Asia. For thousands of years, Romani people have been subject to slavery, exodus, and systematic extermination, among other things.
Why should the vast international population (exceeding 10 million) of Romani people be forced to live with the knowledge that privileged skiers, who consider themselves to be “wizards,” are performing tricks that wish death upon them?
In conclusion, it is time to take a stand. Since we are already editing the vocabulary of freestyle skiing, with the removal of the t-slur (abbreviation for “transition”), many people think that it is also time to recognize the hatred and exclusion that many aspects of skiing stand on, unbeknownst to the blissfully ignorant participants of the activity. It is time to seek justice. The justice that has been denied for so long.
Justice for babies, hippies, and Gypsies.
Excuse me - I meant infants, bums, and Romani people.