Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: Why do we care what Miss California says?
Any pro football fans remember head coach Jim Mora? His tirade about his team’s chances for the playoffs is so classic it has been made into a commercial. I had my Mora moment yesterday after reading how people actually cared what a beauty pageant contestant had to say about gay marriage.
The story is simple. Miss California, Carrie Prejean, was asked about same sex marriage (why?) during the Miss USA 2009 meat market. She gave some answer being raised to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, but hey in America it’s all about choice. Was it the best response? Naw, but jeesh so what? Is the woman setting policy or something? No. She is going to spend a year sitting in a car waving to crowds at parades and going to the occasional homeless shelter.
Despite this though, the internets was aflame yesterday with furious anger about the Prejean answer. Perez Hilton, one of the judges, called the kid a female dog, apologized for that, then took his apology back. Isn’t there a law about this type of mea culpa giveaway? And when did name calling become a substitute for political reasoning? Cursing at someone is not going to get you closer to having a boring wedding ceremony where the phrase “you complete me” is uttered with lack of irony.
All of this heat over some muddled answer at contest that is about relevant as the 8-track (personal confession: I loved my parents’ 8-track copy of Barbra Streisand’s Greatest Hits, Vol, 2). I understand we are supposed to be all radical and such, full of furious anger at our oppression, ready to strike back at anyone who steps on our rights. I get that; however, red zone heat at every comment, from every little person, is tiring. You need to get funky? Try this.
This “contest” still exsists? I thought it ended years ago. So much for advancing women’s causes.
WE only care because she is getting so much press…but we are also fueling the fires… Donald Trump and his co-ownership of this pageant love the press that it is getting because it is pushing the Pageant. Sadly, it could also be a statement of the thoughts of a younger person and our rights…however, it is sad to think that a young woman would have these thoughts in 2009 — and to be totally oblivious to the fact that these pageants are full of openly (and many not so openly) GAY MEN!!! Who did her hair, who made her dress, who helped her to learn to walk in her heels!!! And to tell them that they don’t deserve the same rights that she can have is wrong…but she is entitled to her opinion…just like we are! Just don’t ask for help for the Gays in the future, Miss California.
Of course she is entitled to her own ignorant opinion.
The moment we judge others for having their own opinions we become the group that hates others for being different. Does that sound familiar? She happens to represent the majority, at least the majority of the voters who voted in CA. And what she said was polite and not hateful. I have been on the opposite side of the majority long enough to think that everyone deserves the right to a polite, well-mannered opinion.
She could have simply said, “I am sorry, but I am not sufficiently informed on that subject”, and remained mysterious about her real thoughts on that and gone on to the next topic. California etc. would forget much sooner her seeming lack of brilliance on that particular topic than it would the unfortunate, divisive and not well thought out answer she gave.
Just what was really served by asking such question anyway that would only get many people mad at her if she failed to give a answer totally devoid of a real opinion for or against marriage equality?
I would asked her instead what did she plan to actually do in the future that would help her grow and mature as a person.
Her rejection of same-sex marriage based in her religious beliefs I find rather hypocritical. The “scriptures” which she obviously believes in and on which the bulk of anti same-sex marriage is based decry flaunting one’s body and flesh in public. Yet there she is, half naked for all the world to see. Its bigotry and hypocrisy run amok but then virtually all religious cults have a monopoly on that to say nothing of the double standard.
I think everyone is missing the point here. It’s not that some pageant contestant doesn’t think we should have the same rights as she does, what matters is that in 2009, it most likely lost her the crown and caused an internet furor!
She’s entitled to her beliefs. She just needs to realize that those beliefs are quickly becoming the minority and distasteful to the majority of the people from “her country.”
Why do we care? We don’t.
Any controversy over her PERSONAL opinions ended the second she lost.
@ Wibawa, that’s a rather odd thing to say, nobody expects any contestants to be a lesbian. And if she had said she supported gay marriage, that doesn’t imply anything about her orientation.
The reason we care isn’t that the opinions of a human mannequin matters. It isn’t that people still hate us or don’t think we deserve rights.
It’s that she said “in MY country.” She made sure we knew that we’re not only not welcome in her home but in her community. She’d prefer we all just leave. We’re not a part of HER America. It hurts to know that even in 2009, in California, surrounded by about 95% gay men doing her hair and makeup, a woman who claims to represent us doesn’t want us even in her country.
That said… don’t you think it’s time we just forgot about beauty pageants and left them to the inbred trailer trash of the south? I mean really.. why are we still parading these women around as if it means something other than sexism run amok?
If the winner must lie in order to win, the event should be called “Miss Lesbian USA”.
Withers ! Is that your name or your memory?
I remember another runner up to the Miss America contest who caused our people great harm and anguish!Gay and lesbians in Florida are still dealing with the hate and oppression ANITA BRYANT fannned and fueled in the 1970’s.
Let this be a warning that people such as Miss Califronia are not to be taken lightly, as they have a power to influence the masses.
Dur, its a no brainer.
Anytime someone with a national public forum states their opinion for/against…..we pay attention.
She didn’t lose because of her views. She lost because it was an ungraceful, badly-worded, undiplomatic answer, and Miss America (apparently) has to be more skilful than that. But hey what do we know, perhaps she just lost because she has no talent. Seriously though, it’s a beauty pageant, not a presidential debate. Is it really worth this much hype?