Today's theme: Geography

Edited to Add:
Oh Shit! Bad friend, bad friend! It's the young Kathy's birthday today! Happy birthday Kathy!!

So you can hardly be online or flip on the tube these days without hearing about the Q&A snafu by the Miss Teen South Carolina. I admitted this to Julie already, and now I'll admit it to you. Owen, Kev-head and I were WATCHING the Miss Teen USA pageant when it happened. Why? I have no idea. We were flipping channels, watching...I'm not even sure what...when we stumbled on to that. As MTSC answered the question, we all stared at each other dumbfounded. How did we get from "Why can't Americans find the US on a map" to Iraq and South Africa?

Bottom line? Nerves. This is a TEEN pageant for the love. This is the best example of schadenfreude I have ever seen. Everyone loves to see a "beauty queen" fall - see these "perfect" specimens competing in a "scholarship program" (seen Miss Congeniality??) take a dive. Poor Miss America's literal fall on stage was replayed a gazillion times on YouTube, the news, everywhere. (And yes, I was watching that, too, WHEN IT HAPPENED. What am I doing watching all of these friggin' pageants?? Maybe I should see someone about that.)

Is it true? Can 20% of Americans really NOT find the US on a map? And if so, why do YOU think that is? My answer that night and still today is that if it is true, maybe it's because geography isn't a part of standardized testing. That the focus on math and reading is leading away from a true knowledge of World Geography. Joy - you are the teacher among us, do you think the students of today can find America on a map? Do any of you know an adult who can't? I don't. How would you answer?

I know my own husband admittedly knows nothing about geography - he can't locate the 50 states on a map, but he could most definitely find the US on a global map. He admits he paid no attention to that in school because it just wasn't important to him.

Having been in a "scholarship program" my senior year - I was in the running to become "America's Homecoming Queen" No joke. Since I was homecoming queen of my school, some teacher nominated me to become Indiana's Homecoming Queen. From there I could go to Hawaii and compete against all 50 states. ME? Whodawa? I still can't believe I did it. I had to wear a tiara all weekend, and the sash. I had to compete in a "casual-wear" thing that involved an interview. I don't remember the interview at all. I must have done well. Then an evening gown portion that involved walking on this make-shift catwalk. I made friends. Go figure. I came in first runner up. Why? Because of the question. Yes, folks, I too bombed my question. I remember standing in a side room, in my gown, waiting my turn and almost pissing my pants. And this was just in a hotel ballroom in Indianapolis, not national television! I walked out there, completely flushed, and I can still remember the question to this day. "25 years ago JFK said 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country', how does this apply today?"

Are you fucking kidding me? I was 17. HUH? I was in the top friggin' 5, of a pageant, as a band-geek, national honors society nerd. I should have at least had the talking portion down, right? No. I remember looking out at my parents in the audience and freezing. No, I don't remember my answer. I think the post-traumatic stress of it has blocked it from my memory banks. I do remember that it sucked, my answer that is. And that as soon as I walked off the stage, I thought of ten million BRILLIANT things to say. But I didn't say anything intelligent then. Trust me.

So I can cut Miss South Carolina a lot of slack...