Mike Pence’s refusal to stand during Olympic opening ceremonies

“Korean warm-up chills Pence,” Feb. 11 news story.

I’m disappointed in, but not surprised at, Vice President Mike Pence. He’s forgotten, if he ever knew it, that standing at the Olympic ceremony shows respect for the competitors, not the country they came from. By sitting stonefaced like a petulant child who didn’t get his way, he bolstered South Asia relations in more ways than he could imagine.

I have given technical papers at conferences in the South Korean cities of Seoul and Busan. The protocol requires an initial deep bow from the waist to show respect to the audience. To do otherwise is to be understood as being an ignorant foreigner and less worthy of attention.

You see, it is called manners, which are inbred human values that seem to have been discarded in America along with political correctness. If U.S. diplomats cannot live up to these civil standards they should stay home. ●●●

We watched the opening ceremony to the Olympics in wonder as teams from around the world gathered and a unified team from North and South Korea will compete together. We watched as the sister of the leader of North Korea sat within arm’s reach of Vice President Mike Pence and his wife. We watched as our VP refused to stand for anyone but the American team while the leaders around him stood for fellow countries.

As the Korean singers sang “Imagine,” all I could think of is imagine if we sent someone who had a concern for diplomacy. Imagine the opportunity lost.