Only 2 of 51 Miss USA contestants say they think Evolution should be taught in classrooms

[n2doc]

But! One of those 2 won! -see post-
A beautiful mind
Posted on: June 20, 2011 9:48 AM, by PZ Myers

I am not a fan of beauty pageants, especially after hearing about the preliminary questions in the Miss USA contest. The women were asked if evolution should be taught in US schools. Only two of the 51 contestants could bring themselves to answer yes.


But here's the good news: one of those two was the ultimate winner.

The newly crowned Miss USA, Alyssa Campanella, 21, of Los Angeles, who calls herself "a huge science geek," says evolution should be taught in public schools.

…

Before her victory night, Miss California earned her way into the semi-finals in preliminary judging including interviews in which she was one of only two among 51 contestants to unequivocally support teaching evolution.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/06/a_beautiful_mind.php

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. you MUST be kidding.

the rest of them don't want evolution taught?
Maybe they confused it with ovulation?

[Uncle Joe]

2. Congratulations to Miss California on winning and having some intellect.

Thanks for the thread, n2doc.

[Dappleganger]

3. Does my butt look big on tv?

[DCKit]

4. And only one of 51 can spell it. Quelle surprise.

You know I love you, but you're really trolling the depths of "most obvious" with that one.

[treestar]

5. I happened to catch the end of the pageant

I do not watch these unless I am somewhere where someone else is watching it.

But at least the winner seemed to be the smart one.

[givemebackmycountry]

6. "I wish they all could be California Girls"

Not a big fan of the pageants BUT, I'll tip my cap to this young woman.

[Glimmer of Hope]

15. She is also cool with medical marijuana!

[JoePhilly]

7. The rest are auditioning for Fox and Friends.

[MilesColtrane]

8. They know their target audience.

[Drunken Irishman]

9. The other 49 asked, "what is eeevoooo-lootion?"

[Capitalocracy]

49. They said, "No, I think our public schools should be English only."

[bluestateguy]

10. Beauty pageants seem to attract a lot of fundagelicals

It's not the kind of hobby that is likely to attract a large number of progressive people.

[rpannier]

17. I'm sure they're very concerned about the teaching of Satanism in our schools

Evil-ution and all that should be banned

[snooper2]

38. Why is that? Same with those kids in beauty pageants

Palin?

fundies have messed up minds...Don't have sex, but we'll dress up our six year old to look like a whore :eyes:

[bluestateguy]

40. You need to have a lot of money to be a beauty paegent contestant

It's an expensive hobby, and while not all rich people are conservative Republican (look at the 2008 exit polls for that evidence), the kind of rich people who are attracted to such a hobby are probably the types who have snobby, princessy, selfish and materialistic daughters.

[Deep13]

11. creationist = too stupid to be allowed to use scissors.

I'm glad a reasonably smart woman won. She looks like she needs to come over my house and get stuffed with spaghetti and Yorkshire pudding (this delightful, doughy thing with butter and gravy.)

[pipi_k]

19. Keep them away from the plastic picnic forks too. n/t

[jmowreader]

47. You like Yorkshire pudding?

Watch this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pogYsekE-IQ

[RagAss]

12. How fucking sad is this?

[Iggo]

13. You gotta be fucking kidding me.

We won't let 'em teach woo, so they don't want us to teach ACTUAL SCIENCE either?

It's a sick sad world.

[RagAss]

16. No....it's a sick, sad country. Lots of science in India, Japan and China being taught.

[Scuba]

14. Well I'm glad that's decided.

[madrchsod]

18. hot and smart ..every science geeks fantasy

[pipi_k]

20. Absolutely...

I don't care how good-looking someone is.

Without brains, s/he is a huge turn-off.


Stupidity is not attractive

[inna]

21. wow, sad but comforting in at least one way because of the winner... kr

[tammywammy]

22. She's also pro-gay marriage. n/t

[ThoughtCriminal]

23. I hope that honest answer had something to do with winning.

And sadly, I'd like to think the 49 were just trying to pander, but I'm afraid most of them meant it.

[Cali_Democrat]

24. At least they look pretty. n/t

[amborin]

25. scary, but i've seen this stance in even more troubling demographic slices

[swishyfeet]

26. THIS IS NOT TRUE

Someone else posted the youtube link... there were several blue state women who said yes

CA, DE, MD, MA, NM, VT and maybe others.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVsaLj6pcFA&feature=player_embedded#at=12

[Brother Buzz]

30. 90% is still an embarrassment

[lolly]

27. Cue the outrage machine

Or have they already started whining that Christians were discriminated against?

[sakabatou]

28. Geeks for the WIN!

[Vehl]

29. Luckily evolution happens regardless of what these folks think

Just imagine the fate of humanity of Evolution has to have a senate majority to keep on working!!

btw..wth is wrong with people? why can't all the anti-evolution folks take a boat/plane to some religious fundie country and live there...saving the rest of the world, a world of announce

[Lucian]

31. 49 of the contestants are idiots.

[4lbs]

32. The Miss USA pageant is owned by Donald Trump.

He's no great friend to science or intelligence himself.

[Blue Owl]

33. The Miss USA Pageant isn't about thinking with brains

But that being said, I'm glad they didn't "reward" one of the ignorant majority -- this is the 21st century, right?

[kath]

34. What's almost as disgusting to me is that these beauty pageants still exist in the 21st century.

Gross. What an anachronism they are (or should be).
:puke: :puke:

[HappyMe]

35. No kidding.

I can't believe this antiquated bullshit still exists. :eyes:

[snooper2]

39. Mister International was just started in like 2006

:P

[kath]

42. do they have a swimsuit competition?

little teeny Speedos?

[snooper2]

44. Well, Mister International Ireland 2011

[kath]

45. Oh, so it's a bodybuilding competition"

To me, that seems different from a "beauty pageant".
A lot of women really don't care for that abnormal amount of muscle development. EWWWW.

[ImNotTed]

36. The other 60%.....

...would actually make one doubt evolution, particularly the "survival of the fittest" aspect.

[glinda]

37. A counter competition where brains and beauty are judged would kill MAP.

[provis99]

41. it was a lot more than 2 that favored teaching evolution.

That headline is false.

Only a few said it shouldn't be taught. The rest either said it should be taught or waffled on the question.

Here are the 51 contestants answering the question.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay7srP7lOlE

[marmar]

43. "I believe in prayer in the classroom for U.S. Americans....and world peace in all those places....

..... where they are like fighting. Like in the Middle East Side and stuff like that. ..... Did I say I want world peace?"

[Tx4obama]

46. First they should have asked if they knew the definition of the word 'evolution'. n/t

[Monk06]

48. So to be in a Miss America contest you not only have to be blonde and white

But you have to be a dumbass Baptist moron