Chutes too narrow

I woke up this morning really early to go to a meeting at the airport. While getting dressed and flipping channels, I encountered a news clip on beauty pageants. The older I get the more and more disgusted I am at the thought of beauty pageants. Yes, I also understand that pageants are cultural thing that are much more popular in the South then the North and who am I to judge. To me, that argument holds as much weight as saying I should turn a blind eye to cock fighting in Central America and Dog Fighting in Black America because after all, those are just cultural things. But I started wondering where the idea of child beauty pageants even started? Whose idea was it to compare the beauty of one seven year old next to the beauty of another seven year old by whoring these girls up with as much make-up as a hooker on the East side of Los Angeles? Then the girls strut around, dance in a quasi-sexual manner, with hip thrusts and other dance moves they mimic from their idols on Music Television, while being judged by adults. Who is the winner in all of this? Obviously many girls are left feeling crushed, unattractive, and silly which is already setting up for problems later in life with eating disorders, and depression. And the “winner” gets her ego inflated and the belief that they “win” by being pretty. This sets up for future cattiness, and insecurity. I am all for competitive events for children whether it be talent shows, ballet competitions, sports, science fairs, et cetera. Little girls are more sensitive then their male counterparts and when I am a father someday, I most definitely want the best of my girl. She should be showered with affection, love, attention, but for the right reasons. She should learn that the inner beauty of a person is much more resplendent then any fake tan, lipstick, or hair extensions ever could be.

1. One of the most sophomoric movies I have ever seen is Borat, starring Sacha Baron Cohen. That doesn’t mean I didn’t find it hilarious. The infamous wrestling/elevator/chase scene was probably the funniest two minutes I have ever seen. Reports have begun to leak about Cohen’s new movie, Bruno. In Bruno, Cohen plays a homosexual fashion correspondent for an Eastern European TV station. In the leaked scene, he organizes a Mixed Martial Arts contest in Texarkana, Arkansas with the promise of hot girls and $1 beer. After a few fights, a fighter named “Straight Dave” (probably played by Cohen) comes out and challenges any man in the audience to a straight up fight. Obviously the man Straight Dave picks is a planted male actor, and once the two actors are in the ring, instead of fighting, they begin making out and ripping clothes off. As to be expected, the audience jeers intensely and they are pelted with food and beer before police officers (who were forewarned about the “romantic embrace”) come and rescue the actors and whisk them off to safety. Okay, this movie will probably be really juvenile but it will also probably be hilarious.

2. I really became a fan of the satirical magazine, The Onion while a freshman at Iowa State where there were free copies around campus. I love their new headline: New VH1 show cancelled for “not being pathetic enough”. http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/new_vh1_show_canceled_for