23 Apr 2009 Outrage of the Day: No Tolerance for the Truth
Sometimes it seems there’s no tolerance at all these days.
Even for telling the truth.
Witness the treatment of Carrie Prejean, aka “Miss California,” who was (apparently) not only denied the Miss USA title for holding the same beliefs about marriage as has virtually every society on Earth for thousands of years, but, according to one of the Miss USA pageant judges, because she didn’t lie.
Check out this Los Angeles Times blog post by Richard Abowitz:
If you had any doubt that Miss California, Carrie Prejean, lost the crown, if indeed she ever had a chance to win it, with her answer to Perez Hilton’s question about states legalizing gay marriage, then read fellow judge Alicia Jacobs’ account of her voting. After hearing the answer, Jacobs, a former Miss Nevada USA, writes on her blog, “if I could have made her 51st runner-up, I would have.” In a blog item titled “Pretty is as pretty does,” Jacobs offers a behind-the-scenes account of the judges and pageant officials involved. Included is Jacobs’ account of her reaction as she heard the answer:
“As she continued to speak, I saw the crown move further & further away from her. When she finished, she looked strangely proud for a moment. Personally, I was STUNNED on several levels. First, how could this young woman NOT know her audience and judges? Let’s not forget that the person asking the question is an openly gay man, at least 2 people on the judges panel are openly gay. Another judge has a sister in a gay marriage…”
According to this account, Miss USA pageant judge Alicia Jacobs was stunned because Carrie Prejean didn’t lie.
So there you have it. Carrie Prejean was expected to know the political views of the judges, and lie if her own views did not conform with theirs.
Can it possibly be an honor to win the Miss USA pageant if lying to the judges is a precondition for victory?
A precondition so openly acknowledged, one of the judges is quoted in the Los Angeles Times expressing shock that a contestant didn’t lie?
With all due respect to the winner of this little contest from Hades, I’d say it’s no honor at all.
(By the way, the judge who reportedly is shocked Carrie Prejean didn’t lie is a news reporter. Given the mendacious state of the news reporting industry, who’s surprised?)
Next year, in addition to the main award and the Miss Congeniality and Miss Photogenic awards, the Miss USA pageant should have a “Best Liar” category.
Plus, there should be a new award, to be bestowed upon the most narcissistic of the judges: Most Self-Absorbed.
Addendum 1: A commentary on this by writer Roland S. Martin is pretty good. It begins, “A lot of folks are always saying they like to keep it real, that they want authenticity and straight talk. Yet when someone actually does it, there is hell to pay.” Read it here.
Addendum 2: Speaking of a lack of tolerance, if the details in this story are true, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler certainly doesn’t have any.
Addendum 3: Before anyone writes to say I’ve missed the core problem, which is not the promotion of dishonesty but increasingly totalitarian attitudes toward dissent from the PC line on gay marriage, I haven’t. In fact, I recommend this document by the Free Market Foundation for anyone who is unaware that some are working to make dissent from the PC line on this issue against the law.
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