Thursday, January 06, 2022

Exceptional?


I see that tennis player Novak Djokovic has had his Australian visa revoked, meaning he may not be able to play in the Australian open tournament this month (pending an appeal). It's strange that someone like Djokovic would be happy to appear to be so anti-vax; although apparently there are "medical" reasons behind his refusal to get a vaccination, as everyone else wanting to travel to Australia must do. The specifics of the reason behind his no-vax stance is conspicuous by it's absence in the public domain. I can't help thinking that  if this were me and I stood to gain so much (as he does) by competing in this event and bearing in mind the circumstances as they relate to other players and support staff, then I'd not quibble too much about providing the reasoning behind my decision, if it were a true and solid reason like some medical condition etc. I suppose that when you get to his level in such a lucrative sport then the special treatment factor must become second nature; perhaps he feels that he should be the exception to the rule? 

If there are no real medical (or other) valid reasons for not conforming to the local regulations then I applaud the Australian government for calling this out and sending him home! It's the fair thing to do, and sends a strong message to all those other people in the world that feel they don't need to act with empathy for others in these exceptional circumstances we find ourselves in. Shame our own UK Government is so free and easy when it comes to exceptionalism and putting financial and populist interests above public health risks.

Someone came up with a humorous take on this rather odd situation, see below..



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