Readers Reminded not to Underestimate Entertainment Value of Classroom

Since the self-sensor is off, I'm going to pass this along. Snipey had posted some Fox News article on the message board about homosexual women who had complained about discrimination in the Mrs. America pageant because they are unable to compete, as they cannot marry. Someone responded that pageants are meat markets.

Snipey responds:

As a husband of a Mrs. Minnesota contestant, I would have to strongly disagree with your assertion that it is a "meat market". The Mrs. America program is run different from the Ms. Pageants so I propose you do some investigating before making comments that it is a "meat market".

Pageants are a celebration of feminine beauty, not a meat market. But that is why this encourages diversity, people are free to have what ever pageants that they might want...

I think he was implying that lesbians can make their own pageant if they want to.

Got home last night and went upstairs to say hi to Shad, etc., and I checked the discussion board where I found the above message. I laugh my ass off and read it aloud to Shad. Of course, being a former pageant queen, I felt compelled to respond. My main question is how much research do you have to do to learn that a pageant is not a "meat market" and is, in fact, a "celebration of feminine beauty"? Because I've spent the last several years laughing about the pageant I was in, justifying it because of the scholarship money, etc. But as my recent conversation with my prof suggests (er, I deleted that entry, back in the self-censorship phase), some people unabashedly consider it a meat market. And hey, why not? As much as I like to think that my "feminine beauty" was being celebrated when I was standing up on that stage in a bathing suit and heels (I was in somewhat better shape back then) it would have been just as well for someone to wrap me up in cellophane and slap a USDA approved label on my ass. As I've said, my only regret is that I don't know where my sash is these days, it was a fun experience. Anyhoo, further research on the Mrs. Minnesota pageant shows that they don't even have a talent competition, which further supports an assertion, in my opinion, that it is a meat market. Their competitions are 50% Interview, 25% Evening Gown, and 25% Physical Fitness. (Miss America, by way of comparison, is 40% talent, 30% interview, and 15% each Evening Gown and Physical Fitness). Snipey says Mrs. Minnesota is run differently. I didn't check out what their physical fitness component entails, but I suspect the contestants are not doing push-ups and running relay races? I digress...

So, I start posting a response immediately to ol' Snipey. Shad knows of course what I'm thinking. He also knows it is generally my policy these days NOT to respond to him. After all, he doesn't seem to need much help looking like an idiot. When I start typing, Shad suspects what I'm up to and, in the tone of voice we use when Car jumps on the kitchen table, suggests that I walk away, walk away. Which I did.