Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty ImagesHere we have it: The stone-cold, indisputable proof that Internet trolls have no shame. We had already seen everything, but now we've seen everything.
It's no surprise that the latest perceived infraction to get the Twitterverse's goat is Olympics-related, the 2016 Summer Games in Rio making all the good headlines. And last night boasted one of the most talked-about, hotly anticipated events of the whole fortnight—the women's gymnastics team competition.
As was predicted by pretty much everyone, Team USA ran away with the gold for the second straight Olympics, the Final Five dominating second-place Russia by an 8.2-point margin.
While all eyes are on 19-year-old phenom Simone Biles this year, also contributing to the victory was 2012 women's all-around champion Gabby Douglas, who at 20 is the seasoned veteran of the squad, along with the other returning member of 2012's Fierce Five, 22-year-old Aly Raisman.
Throughout, despite having to field an exhausting amount of questions about how she feels competing in this Olympics as a supporting player compared to being in London as a star, Douglas has been the picture of poise—smiling through every interview and turning in a kick-ass performance on the uneven bars last night.
Never mind that, in addition to her words, every look on her face has been analyzed as well for the slightest sign of indifference or animosity.
You would have been forgiven for thinking that the Internet was going to give it a rest last night, once that team gold medal was secured. What's to quibble with when the girls are on the podium?
Sigh.
The long, judgmental arm of the Twitterverse found something.
"Gabby Douglas just standing there and not placing her hand over her heart while our anthem played was UN-olympic. #respect #rio2016," tweeted one armchair critic who was apparently very concerned about the level of Douglas' patriotism during the medal ceremony.
"Would love to know why Gabby Douglas didn't have her hand over her heart during the national anthem, she got to compete for her country #USA," a conspiracy theorist chimed in.
"#GabbyDouglas what country did you grow up in? we were taught before 1st grade to put your hand on ur heart during the playing of our anthem," added another who decided to pile on just today, after somehow making it through the night with this international controversy roiling in the background.
OK. There are so many things wrong with those tweets (aside from them existing at all), from the suggestion that Douglas had some sort of nefarious motivation to the rude inquiry about where the Virginia-born superstar athlete grew up.
So we ask again: What is wrong with people?!
Of course showing respect when the national anthem is played (both yours and other countries') is important, particularly during a competition such as the Olympics, which the whole world is watching. But Douglas didn't do anything that demonstrated she was disrespecting "The Star-Spangled Banner"; rather, she was quietly taking in the moment.
Watching the medal ceremony at the time and then watching it over again, it's pretty apparent that she wasn't actively not making a gesture.
And the now two-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist, who will also compete in the individual uneven bars final this week for a shot at No. 4, confirmed as much on Twitter.
Though who can blame her if she was first absolutely floored by the criticism? And because she's so committed to her team and being a role model, she probably even felt bad, as if she had done something wrong. Which she didn't.
"First I want to say thank you to everyone for all your support! It's a huge honor for me to be able to represent #TeamUSA," Douglas tweeted last night. "In response to a few tweets I saw tonight, I always stand at attention out of respect for our country whenever the national anthem is played. I never meant any disrespect and apologize if I offended anyone. I'm so overwhelmed at what our team accomplished today and overjoyed that we were able to bring home gold for our country!"
Yet that wasn't enough for those who continued to "wonder" today where she had grown up, or what her deal was.
Happily, there there's a flip side, and support flooded in for the champion as well.
"From a Conservative in Alabama( Home of Many Great Olympians from Jesse Owens to Vonetta Flowers & Mia Hamm ) & a Big Fan of Gabby & Team USA , this young lady is a fantastic representative of our Nation and this while personally important to me , is no big deal , what is a BIG deal is how she has conducted herself overall , with class , dignity , good sportsmanship & tremendous poise !" wrote John C. Baker on Facebook, one of thousands of commenters on an article about the controversy.
Responding to someone who asked if Gabby had perhaps breached protocol, Jennifer Eiland responded, "No, it isn't part of the code of conduct. 'There are no team rules for podium behavior, other than standing at attention and looking at the flag and Douglas isn't the first U.S. gold medal winner to not place her hand over her heart."
And the common sense continued as well:
Yes, some people did bring up Michael Phelps seemingly laughing during one of his medal ceremonies in Rio—and yes, no pile-on forced him to apologize for being a human being who didn't do something that other people expected her to do (or didn't think about it until they were faced with the irresistible lure of a good trolling session).
And if she was going to be criticized, why wasn't he? Except for the fact that neither deserved criticism—both were in singular situations that most people in all of the world, ever, will never find themselves in, with every emotion coursing through you at once (including shock and disbelief), in a good way.
Already the target of what was at least sports-related criticism over whether she deserved a spot on the 2016 women's Olympic squad over national teammate Ashton Locklear, Douglas already had to look past a lot of negativity in order to concentrate on what was important this summer.
"I feel like I always have to prove myself, no matter if I do good," she told USA Today upon arrival in Rio last week. "You know what? I'm just going to go out here and not listen to any negative thing and really shine bright. Do what I'm really capable of doing."
So throughout, from a rocky start to this silly distraction that she in no way deserved to have to deal with, Gabby Douglas, her place in the history books secure, has been a class act. That's her usual.
Yet there will always be those doing everything they can to burst another's bubble. That's just what they do. And it's now become apparent that Internet trolls take no breaks and rest for no hero. Even one who just went out and won yet another gold medal for Team USA.