Peter Rhodes on horses, warfare and why we should always be wary of videos
In the wake of the Olympics horse-whipping scandal, the British eventer Tom McEwen says he's shocked. He insists that Team GB’s horses are treated like “kings and queens”. A strange thing to say in France where kings and queens tend to get their heads chopped off.
You may recall the BBC presenter Maryam Moshiri was in trouble a few months ago for apparently flicking an obscene, middle-finger gesture at the camera. A photo showing the incident, coupled with her sullen gaze, surely proved her guilt.
But a few days later the full video of the incident appeared (you can still find it on YouTube). It shows her, hand raised, counting down the seconds to a bulletin. It was playful, amusing and dextrous. Her expression was not sullen but comically deadpan. As Moshiri had claimed all along, this was a private joke with her crew, a split-second of mirth which, taken out of context, looked damning.
