ryan lochte is a national embarrassment

Unless you've been living in a cave in Borneo, you almost certainly have heard something about the scandal involving American Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte and a much disputed incident in a Rio de Janeiro gas station restroom. I've seen the story reported endlessly online in the American media, and it's getting mega-coverage here in Australia as well.

The bottom line is, while the Rio authorities may have been opaque about certain details involving the incident, there's no real dispute that Lochte was very drunk, vandalized the bathroom, and then exaggerated and obfuscated aspects of what happened to the authorities.

Lochte is not fourteen. He's thirty-two. He's a grown man. While he might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, he had to realize he was representing his country and his sport in Rio.

To put it bluntly, he is a jackass, to use my grandfather's favorite description. He has so many advantages and accomplishments, yet he throws them away to act like a spoiled prep school truant.

I read somewhere in media coverage that this mistake will cost him millions in endorsements and may forever tarnish his reputation and accomplishments. Good. It serves him right.

Thanks, Ryan, for helping to perpetuate the sterotype of the ugly American abroad. Your countrymen living overseas really appreciate it.