Times, they are a changin'

Oh yes, things are way different than when I was in knee pants. I missed watching the broadcast of the Miss USA contest the other night. My cardiologist forbids me to watch the swim suit competition so I just skipped the whole thing. I did manage to sneak a peek at some of the news photos though. Nice.

Back in my day beauty contests were different. Besides Bert Parks there was the evening gown event and the talent competition where the young ladies would show their skills at handling a baton or maybe sing a little ditty. The major attraction was the swim suit competition where they could show off their physical attributes and poise while being ogled by a kajillion male eyes. Lastly they were required to answer some inane question like, "How would you like to change the world?" The stock answer being "Feed hungry children in Sudan" or something like that. If she could deliver in fifteen words or more without repeating herself or replacing a comma with "Y' know?" she was home free.

This year was different, however. Miss California, a first place contender, draws a question from judge Perez Hilton. I had to Goggle that name to find out who he/she/it was. Hilton's an openly gay in your face celebrity wannabe internet blogger. No doubt he chose the handle for maximum associative shock value. Anyway Hilton asked Miss CA, 'Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?' What they hell kind of question is that for a freekin' beauty contest? Whoever thought a person with such an overt political and social agenda would be a suitable judge for the pageant anyway?

Well Carrie Prejean, from California answered from her heart, and I think rather diplomatically, considering. She said something like, 'We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, 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 and that’s how I think it should be - between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.' Watch it for yourself on youtube. Listen to the cheers from the audience.

Now Hilton gets some wonderful self-promoting spin in the media by calling her a 'Dumb bitch' and implying that it cost her first place. What if she had put a lid on her feelings and deferred to the judge's prejudicial position and favored gay marriage? Would the world have afforded her a brighter spotlight? I'm glad we didn't find out. I didn't bother to measure the column inches awarded each in Monday's circus act, but I'm guessing good old fashioned down-to-Earth values lost out again.

I've known a number of gay and lesbian people throughout my life and my heart goes out to those that have suffered at the hands of hardline homophobes. They deserve a better shake than they've had since the door got ripped of the closet, but dammit marriage is a human institution that predates history. It is woven into our society in ways that mean a change like this could result in a much larger unravelling. I think it's high time we stop kowtowing to every minority faction that manages to whip the media into a frenzy and stand our ground. I say three cheers for Ms. Prejean. She's too intelligent to waste her time with such trivial pursuits anyway.

Bert Parks, rest your soul, I miss you.

Time to drop my state assemblyman an email.