My sister, Becca, says- “ugh, miss california. she says "no offense." that's the killer. um, well, sorry miss cali, you're standing up for the belief that people shouldn't have equal rights. that. is. offensive. sorry to sound cynical, but if she's working hard to change the world by parading around in a swimsuit and supporting bigotry, i'm completely unimpressed.”
But I think she missed the point.
In this case, the gay marriage issue isn’t the key. The battle could be over anything, but what makes the Miss California story notable is the idea that only certain beliefs are ok to speak. Perhaps some people have forgotten our unalienable rights?
Miss California was asked a question in an interview. My understanding is that contestants are judged on their speaking skills and thoughtfulness. However, the question was posed by a judge with a bias. If this judge decided to lower her score based on his opinion (one that could be offensively by a large group of people, for that matter), then that’s his prerogative as a judge. However, he went further and publicly demeaned her (with even more offensive language, if we’re keeping an offense tally). What I observe is a judge stepping out of bounds to be cruel and without class- and the criticism going to a girl who answered a question honestly.
So maybe her methods of making a difference aren’t what most of us choose to do, or even fully respect. But it’s her thing. It’s what she’s good at and what she enjoys. I imagine Carrie Prejean feels the same way about beauty pageants as I do about theater, architects about building, gardeners about landscape, teachers about education, and so on. And isn’t that what we all do- use our passion in an attempt to better the world?
Perhaps as a society we are too busy looking for offenses. We are all going to be irritated, put-off, insulted, or disgusted every now and then. That’s the beauty of living in a country where free speech is permitted and celebrated. The mix of the most varied ideas is what causes us to think, reshape our own ideas, and become better people for it. Because you don’t agree and it makes you mad doesn’t take away a person’s right to speak. And it doesn’t necessarily mean they are wrong.
2 thoughts:
Very well articulated. Thanks for sharing your opinion on the subject. "Politically correct" isn't necessarily right, it just seems to be the only opinion or view accepted by many. It's sad to see how far away from "free speech" this one nation under God has gotten.
i did not miss the point.
i don't know what perez hilton said to that girl. and it's irrelevant to me, quite honestly.
"unalienable rights" like free speech are a funny thing to bring up in this case, as a very basic right is being denied plenty of same-sex couple who just want to get married!
i know you say that's not the issue, but i can't imagine someone going up onto that stage and saying "yeah, i think racial segregation is great. it's how i was raised!" and you praising them for it. or saying, "oh, that's just their opinion. no need to get offended. she's just standing up for what she believes!"
so, yes, what's-her-face-miss-california can say what she wants, perez hilton can say what he wants, whatever. but free speech also means that if someone says something hateful and offensive (and, for the record, i think when someone supports something hateful, destructive, and dehumanizing, it's a pretty good reason to get offended...), i'm not going to sit around silently.
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