Australian Breakdancer and Podcasting
If you’re reading this, you’re probably already aware of the “Australian Breakdancer” who competed in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games and scored zero.
What happened …
“All of my moves are original,” Gunn told reporters. “Creativity is really important to me. I go out there, and I show my artistry. Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about.”
Why I’m mentioning it here …
It made me think of podcasting for a couple of reasons:
There's always the "old guard" who's very attached and wants to protect what was.
Innovation is great, but it’s important to respect existing rules and culture.
I think most people in any group are pretty cool with new people coming in—they’re excited about something and want other people to be excited about it. "New people” are how something grows.
But there's also an element of respect for history that new people are expected to bring with them.
The Olympics situation is complicated and my understanding of its intricacies are limited. What I know is that it’s important when you’re exploring any culture, even if it's just you as an outside podcast host asking questions of insiders, respect and empathy for what already exists within that culture will help the success you have.
As Stephen Covey wrote in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood."
Update ... I love the comments from the head judge.
"Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region," head judge Martin Gilian, known as MGbility, said at a press conference.
"This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo."
The breaking and hip-hop communities "definitely stand behind her," he added.