As an ardent supporter of hard-hitting, informative news, I felt it was my duty and obligation to keep the students at the university informed about one of the most crucial, and yet veiled, issues affecting our country in the last week.
No, it’s not health care reform, nor is it a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan. The story I’m talking about is much more disturbing and leads right to the core of American culture.
According to CNN.com, the former Miss California, 22-year-old Carrie Prejean, is suing the pageant officials from her state, accusing them of “libel and religious discrimination for her views on same-sex marriage.” Prejean became a media lightning rod earlier this year after voicing her opinion against gay marriage in the Miss USA pageant.
I’m sure like all of you, when I first heard the news I was speechless. After all, they should never have dethroned her in the first place. Even advocates of same-sex marriage were saying, “Ugh, no one should ever take away a queen’s crown!”
Isn’t the Miss USA Pageant supposed to be the bastion of American values? If your answer to that question is no, then let’s take a walk down memory lane to 2007. I’m sure we all remember this quote during the Miss Teen USA Pageant, the minor leagues for the Miss USA Pageant, from Lauren Caitlin Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen USA.
When asked a question about Americans’ knowledge of geography, Upton answered, “Some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and I believe that our education, like such as South Africa and uh, the Iraq everywhere like such as and, I believe that they should, our education over here!”
That’s a direct quote folks.
Sure, Prejean may have disagreed with the lifestyle of an increasing number of Americans, or taken a few topless photos that made their way to the Internet. But these days, who hasn’t? At least she never gave an answer to a question that was so incoherent, that after I wrote it I had to confirm to you all that it was in fact a direct quote.
I say, you go right ahead and sue the pageant officials, Carrie. Take a stand for all the women out there who want to be free from discrimination when they take off their shirts for all Internet viewers to see or want to voice their honest opinion on things. That sort of ridicule from the pageant committee is the real travesty in this situation.
All that said, there is a lesson to be learned from all this turmoil. Ladies, if you are ever in the Miss USA Pageant, make sure to keep the officials abreast to all your extracurricular activities.
Rob Crabtree is a senior political science major from Albuquerque, N.M.
