Only two Miss USA contestants believe in evolution

[dawn9476]

thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/06/20/248482/miss-usa-believes-evolution/

Translation is a lot of them are probably from Fundie-light families.

[darkplumaged]

Gawd. I mean, I'm not exactly surprised, particularly not about Miss Alabama's answer (she's one of the prettier girls I've seen in a while, but dumb... at least based on her answers during the onstage interview), but it's disheartening. Most, if not all, of these women are college students or grads, and they're still "OH NOES EVOLUTION111!!!" Sigh.

[silvia]

Well, let's not forget, this is the slightly older version of the Miss Teen USA pageant, one of whose 2007 contestants (Miss Teen South Carolina) spouted this drivel in response to the question, "Why can't one-fifth of Americans locate the USA on a world map?"

"I personally believe that US Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps, and I believe that our education like such as South Africa, and the Iraq, everywhere like, such as, and I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., or should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for our children."

You could almost see the neural circuits shorting out. Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where the Robotic Richard Simmons starts to go haywire...

[SquirrelySquirrel]

Sadly, this doesn't even surprise me. I'm pretty prejudiced when it comes to pageants, so I assume most of the contestants are dumber than a rock.

Well, let's not forget, this is the slightly older version of the Miss Teen USA pageant, one of whose 2007 contestants (Miss Teen South Carolina) spouted this drivel in response to the question, "Why can't one-fifth of Americans locate the USA on a world map?"

"I personally believe that US Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps, and I believe that our education like such as South Africa, and the Iraq, everywhere like, such as, and I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., or should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for our children."

You could almost see the neural circuits shorting out. Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where the Robotic Richard Simmons starts to go haywire...

Hehe, she was on The Amazing Race and did not redeem herself in the least as she had hoped. And I vaguely recall her being on Tosh.0.

[kb2]

I didn't expect any of them to be intellectuals, but I didn't think the pageant world was anti-intellectual.

[GeoBQn]

Are there any fundie lite or conservative Christian pageants?

[antifundie]

You know, I just don't understand this. In my SOTDRT, I learned that evolution was evil, wrong, etc. etc.

I now believe in evolution, AND I believe that God had a hand in it. I think Genesis is a nice way to tell a creation story. But honestly, it's crazy that so many people actually discard evolution, you know? And get so militant about it.

I'm not a scientist, so I don't have to think about these things, and I don't spend much time thinking about it, but yeah. Pageants. I don't like them.

[amie]

..........

[valsa]

Well, let's be honest. It's not like these girls are getting voted in for their brains.

[Deleted02]

Well, let's be honest. It's not like these girls are getting voted in for their brains.

True that

[Scales]

I'm highly educated, not a fundy, and I do not believe in Evolution. I know many people similar to me who believe likewise.

[valsa]

I'm highly educated, not a fundy, and I do not believe in Evolution. I know many people similar to me who believe likewise.

Yeah, but who cares what stupid people believe?

[Hane]

I think that, in their interviews, they're trying to play for as wide an audience as possible, and tend to be the kinds of girls steeped more in pop-culture than intellectualism, so they're assuming that believing in evolution is some big, controversial, unGodly thing.

[Cassandra]

I suppose science is kind of like religion for me. While some can't fathom not believing in god I cannot comprehend not believing in evolution...its just so obviously there.

[kpmom]

Is it really possible 48 out of 50 of these young women really do not believe in evolution? Maybe they think that's what these judges, and the public that watches these pageants want to hear?

[Witsec1]

I'm highly educated, not a fundy, and I do not believe in Evolution. I know many people similar to me who believe likewise.

I'm guessing that you and I probably don't agree on the meaning of at least two of out of those three terms.

What is your alternate theory of the origin of species?

[SquirrelySquirrel]

I suppose science is kind of like religion for me. While some can't fathom not believing in god I cannot comprehend not believing in evolution...its just so obviously there.

Agreed. And I honestly take issue with the "I believe" "I don't believe" phrasing when it comes to scientific fact. Evolution doesn't require a belief like deities do; It requires an education. And every evolution denier I've come across doesn't understand it in the least. They argue their cases with gross misinformation (and none of them comprehend that scientific theory is not the same as a hypothesis) and then plug their ears and play the "LA LA LA LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU" game when you try to teach them actual facts. It takes willful ignorance, something I have zero patience for, to deny evolution.

[Lainey]

Agreed. And I honestly take issue with the "I believe" "I don't believe" phrasing when it comes to scientific fact. Evolution doesn't require a belief like deities do; It requires an education. And every evolution denier I've come across doesn't understand it in the least. They argue their cases with gross misinformation (and none of them comprehend that scientific theory is not the same as a hypothesis) and then plug their ears and play the "LA LA LA LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU" game when you try to teach them actual facts. It takes willful ignorance, something I have zero patience for, to deny evolution.

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lainey]

You could almost see the neural circuits shorting out. Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where the Robotic Richard Simmons starts to go haywire...

I...I need to see this. I will die if I don't see this. :shock:

[Lainey]

I'm highly educated, not a fundy, and I do not believe in Evolution. I know many people similar to me who believe likewise.

Not highly-educated enough, apparently. Here, this should help: http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-index.html

[silvia]

silvia wrote:

You could almost see the neural circuits shorting out. Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where the Robotic Richard Simmons starts to go haywire...

I...I need to see this. I will die if I don't see this. :shock:

Your wish is my command: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHgbbhCsrgk . (You may need to turn the volume up.)

[Lainey]

Your wish is my command: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHgbbhCsrgk . (You may need to turn the volume up.)

Bwahahahahahahahaha! :clap: I heart you forever for this. :lol:

[Boogalou]

be·lief   /bɪˈlif/

[bih-leef]

–noun confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof: a statement unworthy of belief.

If I went around blathering on about how I do not believe in cell theory or atomic people would look at me like I was an idiot. You do not believe in science because it is supported by facts and proof. You believe in Thor because he is not supported by facts and proof.

I read once that people should not say they believe in evolution because religious people get defensive as they feel they can only believe in one thing (God, Jesus, Christianity, what have you) and if they believe in God they cannot also believe in evolution. Belief and science do not go together. I have said this before on here but it has really stuck with me.

Having said that I kind of think the contestants are either saying what they thing their audience/the judges want to hear or else the people that generally participate in beauty pagents are the same people who have creationsim/inteligent design taught to them.

[GenerationCedarchip]

Are there any fundie lite or conservative Christian pageants?

There is actually a Miss Christian America pageant out there. I couldn't find much about it, though.

It's not a conservative Christian pageant(obviously), but the Miss America pageant and its feeder pageants tend to draw a lot of contestants from the fundie lite crowd. I had this explained to me by an ex-beauty queen at church once who told me that the Miss America pageant is perceived as more wholesome than the others. She said that when she was competing (1990s), there was a lot of overt Christian programming going on behind the scenes at a lot of the pageants on the Miss America qualifying circuit.

[Mami Bear]

I used not to believe in evolution either, until I married hubs.

Anyone who can use the words uhhhh, ahhhhh and grrrrrr to mean so many different things HAS to be descended from an ape ... I always say he is the most multilingual person I know(Rromanes, Italian, English, Geordie (he's from Newcastle) and, well, bloke ...)

:lol: