Miss Utah USA Gives Worst Pageant Answer Since Miss South Carolina

[HarveyDarkey]

Question: "A recent report shows that in 40 percent of American families with children, women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men. What does this say about society?"

Marissa Powell: "I think we can relate this back to education, and how we are … continuing to try to strive to (epic pause) figure out how to create jobs right now. That is the biggest problem. And I think, especially the men are … um … seen as the leaders of this, and so we need to try to figure out how to create educate better so we can solve this problem. Thank you."

To which we can only say:

What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Video at link, if you dare: http://deadspin.com/there-is-a-new-miss-teen-south-carolina-and-it-is-miss-513729096?autoplay=1

[Politicalboi]

1. They ain't in this for brains

If she didn't win this contest, maybe she can get a job at Faux. She'll fit right in.

[Catherina]

2. She should have stuck to "world peace"

[Buzz Clik]

3. Damn. How unfair was that?

Asking a beauty queen from Utah about gender inequality? She was doomed from the beginning.

[Lex]

7. LOL.

Spot on.

[treestar]

4. Word salad worthy of Sarah Palin herself

[HappyMe]

6. Yup.

[closeupready]

13. Who was ALSO a beauty pageant runner-up.

True.

[TrogL]

5. I think I can parse this

"This relates to education and job creation. Given that men continue to dominate both fields, it's reliant upon them to create educational opportunities so women are more qualified."

I used to teach Jr. High. You'd have to massage their answer into something coherent, then restate the student's answer back to them to confirm that's what they really meant.

This is not Jr. High.

[Orrex]

8. I wonder how the questioner would have responded to the same question out of the blue.

Beauty pageants are IMO one of the more embarrassing features of our fine society, and I'm reluctant to mock this young woman for failing give a rehearsed politician's answer to a complex question.

What would have been the correct answer, I wonder? How could she address the idiotic and entrenched sexism of the employment model in the US while she herself is competing to serve as a figurehead for that entrenched sexism?

I don't know that I've ever heard a good, concise, off-the-cuff answer to that question from anyone, except perhaps from a professional campaigner with a team of speechwriters.

I'm inclined to give her a break, even if her answer wasn't eloquent or thoughtful enough for some people.

[SugarShack]

9. Should have said U.S. doesn't have an Equal Rights Amendment & women earn .70 on a mans dollar!

Then she should have continued to say that WE, the U.S. have given an ERA to Iraq and Afghanistan!!!!!! But not here....still. Only three more states needed to ratify this into our Constitution!

She's a ditz!

[SoCalDem]

10. Why would anyone expect these women to excel in political/public speaking?

Many of these young women have spent their lives in a world where looks are everything, and under pressure, often say things that are pretty meaningless/ They are probably trained from early-on, to NOT say anything controversial/political, and of course the questions ask them to do exactly that, and to say it quickly, under a lot of pressure.

They are nervous and often we get word-salad.

[tblue37]

15. They are also exhausted and under a lot of stress from everything

they are required to do--in a hurry!--during the pageant week.

Even experienced politicians with a team of speech writers can end up saying some bizarrely word salady things when they are tired and reeling from the campaign whirlwind.

I remember seeing Miss South Carolina (wasn't she a Junior Miss or a Miss Teenage South Carolina, or some other junior varsity version?) a couple of times after her infamous speech, and she was a good sport about it, even playing along with the jokes people made about her. But then, when she was actually given a chance to speak, she was articulate enough, especially for her age.

What gets me is the fact that the Miss America Pageant is actually America's largest college scholarship program for young women! Think about that. Why should women have to parade around in swimsuits and heels to prove their ogle-worthiness in order to win a scholarship to college?

And men have their own version of that crap, too: athletic scholarships in the revenue sports.

We don't give much scholarship money to students just for being smart (even brilliant!) or for being dedicated, hardworking students. But if they are genetically lucky enough to be physically extraordinary--beautiful if female, athletically superior if male--then they can get a scholarship that will pay all or most of the costs of college.

In the case of the women in the Miss America Pageant, at least they do have to prove themselves intelligent and talented in something other than sports to win those scholarships. But often the athletes given football or basketball scholarships have been exploited as athletes since early in middle school, so they have been passed along, not even encouraged much less forced to actually master their academic subjects, so by the time they get to college, many of them are not even prepared well enough to handle middle school level work!

I teach at a large state university. I have had some incredibly bright athletes in my classes. Some have even been good students. But many, though certainly intelligent, have been entirely uninterested in anything vaguely related to academics. They aren't dumb by any means, but for many of them devote all their intellectual energy to their sport, not to their classes, so they tend not to do well academically.

Many of them don't even want to be in college, but they accept those scholarships because college athletic teams have become the farm teams for the NBA and the NFL and AFL. A lot of the athletes come here only to get the coaching they need to improve their skills and to showcase their talent in hopes of being offered a pro contract.

But just as Miss America contestants parade around in swimsuits to be ogled, male athletes must put their brawn and their athletic prowess on display in order to win college scholarships. In both cases, it is beyond absurd. People from other countries often react with disbelief when I explain who gets scholarships (and how they get scholarships) in the US!

We should provide inexpensive or even free access to post high school education and training for our young people, because we need those educated, trained workers to ensure our society's success. But of course the multinational corporations and the government they have purchased do not wanted educated voters or an educated, well-trained workforce that would expected to be paid well. They want debt slaves who will take any job (or any three jobs) to survive. And they want to exploit underpaid, overworked labor in developing countries for manufacturing jobs, as well as importing better educated, trained foreign workers to the US to fill high-tech jobs at a fraction of the salary they would have to pay an American with a similar level of training or education.

I suppose Miss Utah might be as stupid as her answer sounds, but rather doubt it. I am much more inclined to think her brain froze partly from exhaustion and stress and partly from the pressure of being on live TV in front of a huge audience.

[SoCalDem]

17. I agree. She is probably quite intelligent. I hate to see scholarships wasted on athletes

who just want to play ball (or whatever their sport is).

Colleges these days (the sports schools, at least) are little more than training camps for the pro sports.

I think they should be paid for their efforts and offered a discounted college education when they quit/wash-out/get injured, BUT they have to pass an entrance exam, and then not play sports until they finish.

Scholarships should be for ACADEMICS.. the other stuff should be paid for as entertainment....by the professional organizations who benefit from it the most.

I think that any student who has at least a B average should get free/nearly free college at state schools...perhaps those with the highest averages (and need) could get grants in addition to it.

Sports are fine, but we used to recruit people for sports from the student body.. and most were students first..athletes second..

[madrchsod]

11. one of the greatest lines in movie history

and to think it was in a adam sandler movie...

[closeupready]

12. I watched the video and lost IQ points.

After all, it's not a beauty pageant; it's a scholarship contest.

[AndyA]

14. I wish they'd just do away with all beauty pageants.

Not just because Donald Trump is involved, but I think the whole concept is stupid.

[Rod Walker]

16. How do you propose accomplishing this goal?

[AndyA]

19. Don't really care how it's accomplished.

Just wish they'd all go away.

[quinnox]

18. nothing comes close to Miss South Carolina

[Hekate]

20. So true. That will never be topped.

[Eleanors38]

21. Yeah, she ripped a real porcelain-cracker with that one.

[BainsBane]

22. She doesn't sound any worse than a recent VP candidate

and at least she's not pretending to be fit to lead the nation.

[Are_grits_groceries]

23. And for those of you still mocking Miss Teen SC,

here you have an older contestant who supposedly has more experience and education.
In addition. MTSC was a good sport about it. She mocked herself and took it in stride. Some would have gone into hiding