I found this story amusing.
Quote:A big brouhaha in Stanislaus County as a pageant winner in Patterson is stripped of his crown...
I would never do it, it's not queen worthy, said one of the queens.
What she's talking about is what happened last month at the Apricot festival, when the newly-crowned Little Mr. Apricot, 4-year old Matthew Burgos, raised his middle finger to the crowd!...
full article complete with video:
http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_183194617.html
This is another example of political correctness run amok. I saw an interview with the boy's mother. She said he told her that he was "Number one". Thus, the raised finger.
Fortunately, she said, he's not aware of being stripped of anything. I mean, he is only four afterall.
I agree with Bob. However, I wonder from where and whom he learned the gesture? And why won't he be told by his parents that it's inappropriate?
I agree with Bob that it was ridiculous that they stripped a 4-year-old of his crown. I doubt that the 4 year old understood the meaning of that gesture.
Quote:political correctness run amok
I don't know that I'd call it political correctness. Political correctness is different: "midget" becomes "height challenged" in a PC world.
I think I'd refer to the stripping of the crown instead as a continued attempt to transform the country into a mirror image of the make-believe fairy tale world of the 1950's TV show Ozzie and Harriet. :twistedevil:
[quote author=stardust link=topic=4307.msg17103#msg17103 date=1152119874]
I agree with Bob. However, I wonder from where and whom he learned the gesture? And why won't he be told by his parents that it's inappropriate?
[/quote]
He may not have learned it from anyone. Perhaps that was just the finger he held up to signify #1. And maybe his parents taught him that it was a no-no after the fact. Certainly it's not something a parent would point out before the kid makes such a gesture.
If it was really an innocent mistake, it was really dumb to take his *crown* away. I would guess that folks are so sick of the carp that's pervasive in our lives that they've become overly sensitive, and sometimes can't see a truly innocent mistake for what it is. Hopefully it will just die down and straighten itself out.
Personally I think they did him a favor. Can you just imagine someone asking him, as a teenager, weren't you Little Mr. Apricot?
[quote author=maryrussel link=topic=4307.msg17122#msg17122 date=1152134259]
Personally I think they did him a favor. Can you just imagine someone asking him, as a teenager, weren't you Little Mr. Apricot?
[/quote]
True. I'd rather been known as the kid who flipped the bird. He should be able to get some mileage out of that.
