I read a bit ago that the CEO of the Miss America Foundation was fired.
So what?
I don't watch the Miss America pageant. I may have once when I was too young to remember, but these days I can find other things to waste my mind on. No, I'm wasting my time on this to speak out against something I find very very wrong.
Okay - the reason this guy was fired was because he was going to change the rules so that previously married women and women who had had abortions could compete. The idea was more or less stricken down because those 'values' represented by 'those' people weren't consistent with the standards that Miss America embodies.
Of course, I say that if Miss America had any standards at all, she'd find something better to do with her time than trying to win yet another popularity contest.
Okay - let's take our future Miss America here.
Let us suppose that after high school, she marries 'Mr. Right' - her high school sweetheart of three or so years. Life is perfect bliss for a while, they both get jobs and have lots o' sex or whatever makes a good marriage.
About six months down the line, we discover that 'Mr. Right' turns into 'Mr. Hyde' after having one too many. Or after a rough day at work. Or whatever. So he starts beating her.
Of course, he's ever so sorry the first few times it happens - and he really is. She feels bad for being afraid of him, he promises to never do it again, and marital bliss is theirs once more.
Until it does happen again. And again. And again. Until she finally realizes through her battered brain that things are never going to get better until he goes to far and kills her.
Finally getting up the courage (and believe me, this sort of risk takes some balls), she leaves him. Moves back in with her parents and has the divorce papers served. And kills her chances of ever becoming Miss America.
Well, that was cheerful. Why don't we take a look at the other half?
Let's take our future Miss America - a junior in high school. Kind in spirit and whatever, she's the apple of her community's eye.
Then she got raped.
Coming home from a friend's house, some guy jumps her and holds a knife to her throat. Within several minutes of agony, her innocence is stripped away from her forever.
But that isn't the end of it. This vile excuse of a human being planted his seed in her womb - and it's growing. That's right, she's pregnant.
Being brought up a devout Christian (as we all know good Miss Americas are), our heroine would never consider an abortion - that's taking one of God's children from him, which is a bad thing.
Unfortunately, complications ensue. However slim the chances were, if this baby's born it will kill the mother. The only way to prevent this end is an abortion.
The future Miss America's parents can't bear to be without their daughter, and the method of conception was a ghastly event to begin with. They force her to go ahead with the abortion.
It's a solemn affair, with the baby named and a small gravestone at the family plot to commemorate it's passing. Along with its mother's chances at becoming Miss America.
Am I the only person out here that's sickened by this?
In truth, I could care less about the Miss America pageant - it bores the hell out of me. And its superficial nature offends my sensibilities. But I'm not writing this because of any of that. I'm writing this because of the message this sends out to America.
While the two examples I have given aren't based in fact, they aren't so far-fetched that they're impossible either. Are we saying that survivors of horror stories like these don't embody the spirit of America? I beg to differ.
America was based on overcoming diversity (and stealing land from the native peoples, but that's neither here nor there right now). What are we saying? That victims are responsible for their predicaments? Gee, I'm sorry that I divorced my abusive husband - if I knew that it would kill my chances to be recognized as the model American woman, I'd have certainly let him beat me to death.
I'm sorry, I didn't know America worked that way. I only live here.