It looks like we will receive relief from the never-ending tabloid coverage surrounding the assumed murder of Jon-Benet Ramsey; a case nearly ten years old. Authorities have in custody John Mark Karr, residing in Thailand, who says her death was an "accident", that he is not an innocent man, and expressed the expected remorse... Over a ten-year old deed? Obviously, Karr is good at disguising guilt.
The tragedy is not the focus here, although I'm not downplaying its impact. Mystery solved? Perhaps.
But what remains a mystery to me is why a literal infant like Jon-Benet was being forced into beauty contests at such an early age. This has something to do with a theme touched on briefly in other areas here: that kids are not allowed to be kids. Why?
Let's look at the modern-day beauty show. It has been lambasted in all forms of media, parodied in as many forms, and serves to heighten the stereotype of women with no apparent brains. Knowledge is what will keep this country moving forward, people.
How outdated are shows like the Miss America Pagaent? Every year, the contest sets a new low for television ratings. They're burning through hosts like people burn through socks. There's no "talent competition" anymore, so we really don't know who we're getting to fill an "ambassador's" role that we'll never hear about until the next pagaent.
The money spent on the sophistication: the grown-up clothes on a child's form, and the etiquette classes they have to go through, especially for those who were Jon-Benet's age. They're learning proper runway procedure before they can even read a pre-school book? This is alarming - but to be expected in that camp.
So you might have a beautiful baby - the talk of the neighborhood and a source of personal pride. Why not let that represent your family's own beauty show and save a few bucks - and at least one life?
