On Friday, August 24, NBC televised the 2007 " Miss Teen USA " pageant.
An embarrassing moment from the program is making the rounds via the Internet and was forwarded to me by one of our readers.
After making it to the Top 5, Ms. South Carolina, Lauren Caitlin Upton , was asked the following "thought provoking" question by one of the pageant's judges:
Recent polls have shown that a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?
Rather than respond with a relatively simple answer, like "People -- young people, in particular -- are spending too much time watching mindless T.V. shows, like the Miss Teen USA pageant." This was her response:
I personally believe that, we as Americans are unable to do so, because ah some people out there, in our nation, don't have maps and I believe that our eduction -- like such as in 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 Iraq, and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future ... for our children.
We guess that Ms. South Carolina was expecting one of those standard "world peace" kind of questions. (Needless to say, she didn't win.)
But is Ms. Upton living proof that ingesting lip gloss and inhaling hair-spray fumes can be hazardous to one's mental health?
On the off chance you missed viewing that train-wreck, here's a video link: Ms. South Carolina -- 2007 Miss Teen USA Pageant