For the past week I have been lost in slumber. This doesn't mean I have been asleep for seven days. I'm not that lucky. I've just been kind of numb. Vague. Life seemed a bit blurry around the edges. I've been on a drug trip, without the drugs. I have no idea what bought it on. It must have been time for a funny five minutes. Or perhaps a silly seven days.
It is not often that something can anger me so much that it jolts me from my own numb little world, where life (in my head) is equal and just. But this weekend it did. I was watching the news when a barbie-doll-type creature appeared. Her dress was so sparkly I feared I might be blind as the light reflected off the silver gems and burned my eyes. She was so plastic she looked close to melting point under the harsh studio lights.
I'm talking about Miss California. This past weekend was the Miss USA pageant; a disgusting form of 'entertainment' that thrives on the idea that women are objects and beauty is paramount. I never thought of myself as a staunch feminist but catching a glimpse of the contestants in their bathing suits with their fake tans and perfect white teeth, parading their bodies like show-ponies, I have to admit that I am.
However, it wasn't the whole beauty-objectifying aspect of the Miss USA that became world news this weekend. It was gay marriage. When celebrity blogger Perez Hilton asked whether she believed in same-sex marriage, Miss California Carrie Prejean, a.k.a Barbie, replied:
"We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."
This was the moment that jolted me from my numbness. Can you believe I actually forgot that people like her still exist? She's not the only stupid one.
And you know why Barbie is so stupid? Because she makes her own belief sound ridiculously outdated. She points out that she lives in a country with the right to choose but basically states that the right to choose is wrong. Furthermore, she bases her whole argument on the way she was raised when actually her sister is a gay rights activist. Surely her sibling was nurtured by the same parents and yet she never turned out a homophobe.
Perhaps I am being unfair. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and in a twisted way, it's refreshing that someone had the courage to voice theirs in a world rife with political correctness. But everyone should have EQUAL rights. If people can't marry because they are the same sex, we are endorsing the idea that gay people are second-class citizens. Why do so many insist in moving backwards when society has struggled with a ferocious determination to move forwards?
Consider me truly baffled. Reader, what do you think?
I have always wondered why gay marriage is an issue for people to be honest. What does it matter to me what my neighbour does? Yet, it does seem to be on people's minds. My first reaction is why eve ask 'Barbie" the question in the first place?
ReplyDeleteEveryone is allowed to have their opinion although I completely understand the frsutration that occurs when certain people voice them!
Equal rights is a good thing.
BJR
I thought she was sabotaged!!!
ReplyDelete;)
There was absolutely no way to answer that question without alienating a huge segment of the population. The issue is very polarizing, AND, the proponents vs the opponents are BOTH very strong and big entities (Prop 8 is a good example of this).
So, I think there was no way to answer that question correctly. I feel that Perez wanted 1 very particular answer ("I support gay marriage"), in order to make the Miss USA pageant a political commercial.
And really, I don't think the Miss USA pageant is appropriate for that. As you said, it's a form entertainment based on objectifying women and beauty. You really want them being spokespersons for a cause you feel passionate about?
P.S. I didn't watch the pageant, by the way. I'm WAY hotter than all those competitors. ;)
Brilliant post once again :-) I don't think there is an easy answer to this one. Like you said, one can argue that it is her democratic right to voice her opinion, even if it's an unpopular one, but at the same time it isn't fair to demonise a wide segment of the population over an issue which is so personal and (let's face it) nothing to do with her, really - does it matter that some man wants to marry another man? It's not affecting her glossy little existence if someone completely separate to her chooses to marry their own sex, after all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other 2 commenters though, I'm not sure why the question was asked in what was supposed to be a beauty pageant.
You actually make good points...i didn't even wonder why that particular question was asked. Having never watched a beauty pageant EVER, i assumed those political/cultural type questions were always asked, you know, to fool the audience into thinking they aren't actually watching a tacky battle of the beauty contest but something culturally important! You live and learn! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat Post, Lou. From what I understand she also stated at the end of all that, "I'm not politically correct, i'm biblically correct."
ReplyDeleteI think that about says it all. She's a superstitious bigot and proud of it. Go figure.
Grr, it makes me so angry when people try to say what they think should be said, and then completely turn it around to contradict themselves. Personally I don't care who is married to who or what happens in their bedroom.
ReplyDeleteOops Lou, I'm sorry I wrote it in haste as my 2 year old monster decided to drag me somwhere. What I meant she stated that her country allows gay marragies which is politically correct, but in the next sentence she said it was actually wrong. To me it is a hidden contradiction. That first sentence sounded to me rather like something she was told to say. That's all. Didn't come out as I wanted or i just read it wrong lol
ReplyDeletehehe...that's okay Libertine, when i read your comment again it made sense. I think the fact that i read it in haste made me confused!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I keep hearing lots of things about Barbie and now she's saying gay people are the root cause of paedophilia (spelling?!). I mean, is she a fucking retard? Seriously now, ignorant people will listen to her stupidity and start harming gay people. I can't stand ignorance. I'm fuming. Fuming!
I think you might find my thoughts on PC-ness interesting! At this moment it's my most recent post: "Another Tool on the Radio."
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for followers too.
http://kate4148.blogspot.com
My favorite part was the statement of "no offense to anyone"....because it stings less to be called a second class citized undeserving of the right to legally commit to the person I love, as long as you say "no offense" all is ok.
ReplyDeletehaha that is so true cyrtsal. I never really thought about that! :)
ReplyDelete