Would you let your daughter date this man?

Would you let your daughter date this man?

            Oscar Pistorius is a world-class South African amputee runner and Olympian. He has set numerous world records in track distances and won nearly two dozen gold medals in international sporting events. In addition, Pistorius has won accolades for his achievements in sports as a disabled athlete, including honorary tributes such as nomination in the 2008 Time 100 and the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability. 

While Pistorius formerly commanded much attention for his athletic prowess, he attained infamous notoriety with the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013. Pistorius claimed to have shot Steenkamp because he mistook her for a trespasser, yet he underwent an extensive criminal investigation and psychiatric evaluation in 2013 and 2014. The recent verdict declared that Pistorius was acquitted of murder, but remained guilty on charges of culpable homicide.

           Though Pistorius may have seemed admirable for his ability to overcome his disabilities and attain eminence for his accomplishments, his character and virtue have been challenged by his questionable involvement in the death of his girlfriend. He is unlikely to be a paragon of great caliber, be it for his sportsmanlike character or his athletic ability, since he has garnered much negative attention for both his ostensibly amoral concerns and for his behavior in court. Pistorius’s former image as a man who stood up to his disadvantages to succeed has been tarnished by the scandal he provoked and the public indignation he caused, especially with the possibility that his intentions and involvement in Steenkamp’s death were not what he claimed them to be. Judging by his current reputation, perhaps letting your daughter date Pistorius would be to expose her to the threat of relationship troubles at the least, and domestic violence and death at the worst.