Miss Teen South Carolina

[gcol]

I have learned two things from this thread.

 

1. It is O.K. to make sneering ad-hom attacks on people who, not being members of this forum, are unable to answer back and complain to moderators.

 

2. It adds weight to the groundswell opinion on the typical American world view.

 

So thanks for that.

[iNow]

I have learned two things from this thread.

 

1. It is O.K. to make sneering ad-hom attacks on people who, not being members of this forum, are unable to answer back and complain to moderators.

 

2. It adds weight to the groundswell opinion on the typical American world view.

 

So thanks for that.

 

What one learns and what others teach are not always aligned.

[AL]

I just wonder; if she does claim that she didn't hear the question properly, would anyone care to tell me; if that was meant to be the answer, what on earth was the question?

The question was why is it that 20% of Americans cannot locate America on a map?

She started off her response with this (verbatim quote): "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps...."

 

So she can't really say she didn't understand the question. From that answer alone, it's implicit she understood the question fully. She just gave a really sad answer to it.

[Blade]

Miss South Carolina gets a second chance. Not so good for her

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiJBKmOWphs

[1veedo]

Thanks, this was very helpful. I got lost when I heard her but this graphic straitened everything up.

Miss South Carolina gets a second chance. Not so good for her

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiJBKmOWphs

Wow she's very suggestible. Pretty much the entire time she's repeating what the reporters say.

 

You'd think that she'd have a different "persona" on the news interview than she did at the pageant but apparently she's this spacey all the time.

[Bettina]

I don't post much in this forum but I still read the posts to learn, and what I learned today, is that she has a lot more character than the pompous people in this thread. Nice going.

 

Bettina

[Reaper]

I know she's not that bright but, I really have to ask.....who cares?

 

The Youtube video makes for a good laugh.

 

But now that the national media is jumping all over this and spending a bunch of time and resources on it (something that is rather insignificant by the way), it kinda makes you wonder to what extent that it is her fault that she is like that, and to what extent is influenced by our anti-intellectual culture.

[iNow]

I don't post much in this forum but I still read the posts to learn, and what I learned today, is that she has a lot more character than the pompous people in this thread. Nice going.

 

Bettina

 

It's a valid point for sure. Don't let it preclude your further participation in these fora though. I imagine most of your learning occurs outside of the general discussion threads, so it would be a shame to cease your viewing habits as a result of one.

[Sisyphus]

I don't post much in this forum but I still read the posts to learn, and what I learned today, is that she has a lot more character than the pompous people in this thread. Nice going.

 

Bettina

 

It's just our map-having that makes us arrogant.

 

...but seriously though, if we live in a world where we aren't allowed to laugh at a speech as absurd as that at an event as absurd as "the Miss Teen USA pageant," then isn't that just really, really depressing?

[Skye]

Clearly she's humble yet wise. The use of "US Americans" is a long overdue attempt to end the arrogance of assuming the "Americans" refers those people from the USA (but one of many nations in the Americas).

[doG]

I think she missed her calling. She'd make a good spokesperson for that "Brains On Drugs" campaign....

[insane_alien]

if she didn't understand the question, couldn't she have asked for it to be repeated? i mean, people would think (i would at least) higher of her if she actually considered her response before stumbling headlong in to incoherency. infact, there would probably be posts about intelligence being discovered at a pageant.

[Severian]

I don't post much in this forum but I still read the posts to learn, and what I learned today, is that she has a lot more character than the pompous people in this thread. Nice going.

 

Bettina

 

That is a very good point, and I share your outrage at this poor girl's treatment. I think the only ethical course of action left is to stand up for your smake your viewpoint and make your protest more explicit by deleting your bookmarks to this site and never returning.

 

That would teach them!

[Bettina]

That is a very good point, and I share your outrage at this poor girl's treatment. I think the only ethical course of action left is to stand up for your smake your viewpoint and make your protest more explicit by deleting your bookmarks to this site and never returning.

 

That would teach them!

 

Still the same arrogant "smake" aren't you Severian. Thanks for proving my point.

 

Bettina

[John Cuthber]

Was this " I think the only ethical course of action left is to stand up for your smake your viewpoint and make your protest more explicit by deleting your bookmarks to this site and never returning." a parody or a cock-up? If it was meant to be a snide comment at Bettina's expense then I think you may have just shot yourself in the foot.

Perhaps you ought to avoid similar mistakes "by deleting your bookmarks to this site and never returning."

On the other hand you might just not bother to make comments like that about a perfectly reasonable viewpoint.

[blike]

is that she has a lot more character than the pompous people in this thread.

...if only she could trade some of that character for brains.

[CDarwin]

...if only she could trade some of that character for brains.

 

Ironic avatar.

 

Seriously though, we have no idea if she has character. None of us know her.

[Bettina]

Ironic avatar.

 

Seriously though, we have no idea if she has an character. None of us know her.

 

 

So its ok to belittle someone because you don't know them?...

 

And Blike.... I hope you don't look down at your patients as "little people". Some may not be as smart as you, but there still people.

 

Bee

[1veedo]

You're actually defending her Bettina?

[Sisyphus]

Well, we know she signed up for a beauty pageant, which means she does want to be in the spotlight, and to be rewarded for being pretty. She's tried very hard to invite the scrutiny of as many people as possible, and now she's gotten it. Boo hoo.

[iNow]

I have to support Bettina here. How elitist and insecure are the folks in this thread who are bashing a teenaged girl they don't know? She made a stupid response. Big deal. Whoop-tee doo. What is it within your ego that is so fragile as to need to mock her in an online community designed for scientific discussion? Is your life really that boring?

 

 

You sound like a bunch of middle school girls. "Let's make fun of Heather's shoes so they don't realize that my daddy beats me." The first day it happened? Okay. Maybe a few snide comments here an there. But, 10 days later and still the need to belittle? Give me a break. Grow up already.

 

 

With modern day witch hunts, at least we don't have to smell the flesh burning.

[doG]

So its ok to belittle someone because you don't know them?...

 

Acknowledging that the ignorant are ignorant on a particular topic is not belittling them. It is not necessarily a derogatory term. Everyone is ignorant of something...

[1veedo]

I have to support Bettina here. How elitist and insecure are the folks in this thread who are bashing a teenaged girl they don't know? She made a stupid response. Big deal. Whoop-tee doo. What is it within your ego that is so fragile as to need to mock her in an online community designed for scientific discussion? Is your life really that boring?

 

 

You sound like a bunch of middle school girls. "Let's make fun of Heather's shoes so they don't realize that my daddy beats me." The first day it happened? Okay. Maybe a few snide comments here an there. But, 10 days later and still the need to belittle? Give me a break. Grow up already.

 

 

With modern day witch hunts, at least we don't have to smell the flesh burning.

Everyone's heard of this by now. I just got back from across the hall (dormitory) where everyone was talking about miss south Carolina (everyone huddled around 1 computer lol, I had to show them the graphics blike posted). I actually heard about this at a party two days before I saw this thread. It's perfectly ok to have some fun every now and then. Limit your drinking to the weekends and don't go out when you have studies. Having a little bit of fun isn't limited to the kids, iNow. I don't think finding this amusing says anything bad about your character. However, being stuck up and not finding things amusing DOES say something about your character...

 

Of course I do have to admit it is a little old now. I've been hearing about this for three days strait -- it's not funny anymore.

[iNow]

Of course I do have to admit it is a little old now. I've been hearing about this for three days strait -- it's not funny anymore.

 

I, too, found it rather amusing. What I quoted from you above is exactly my point though.

[john5746]

I guess poking fun at people isn't the most enlightened experience, but this was a perfect storm. A blond in a beauty pageant answering a question about what to do about American stupidity. And she surpasses the stereotype!

 

Anyway, it is sad that the actual statement isn't getting much attention. I am not sure where it came from, but it conflicts with this survey:

 

 

 

2006 National Geographic Survey of Geographic literacy

 

Pinpointing North America on a Map Is a Breeze

Nearly all (94%) young Americans can find the United States on the world map, and Canada

(92%) and Mexico (88%) are nearly as familiar. Wide majorities can find bordering bodies of

water including the Pacific Ocean (79%) and the Gulf of Mexico (75%). Trends from 2002

suggest that more young adults can pick out Canada and Mexico (with few signs of change for

other countries). However, it is concerning that one in ten of those with up to a high school

education cannot identify the U.S., and one in five cannot find the Pacific Ocean.

 

Not defending these results at all, but 6% is much better than 20%

 

You can take a sample test below. I missed the one about immigration.

 

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/question_01.html