Miss Controversial Carrie Prejean: Dumb or Just Plain Honest?

Did What Miss California Carrie Prejean Say Cost Her the Miss USA Crown?

Saul Relative, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Apr 23, 2009 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Quick now. Who is Miss USA? She won it all Sunday evening. A hint: She's Miss North Carolina. Still nothing? But Miss California, the first runner-up? Carrie Prejean doesn't have a problem having her name remembered. Why? Because her answer during the interview round won her the crown of Miss Controversial.

It's been just a few days since the 2009 Miss USA Pageant but the controversy surrounding the answer given to Perez Hilton's question about the legalization of gay marriage keeps steamrolling along. Miss California Carrie Prejean and Hilton both have been on dozens of shows presenting their take on the answer, their take on Hilton's response to the answer, the public response to Carrie Prejean's answer, the public response to Perez Hilton's question and his response to Miss California's answer, and the First Amendment.

To refresh, Perez Hilton said: "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"

To which Miss California Carrie Prejean replied: "I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage and, you know what, in my country and my family I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anyone out there but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be between a man and a woman."

First of all, Carrie Prejean lost the Miss USA Pageant to Miss North Carolina. She says standing up for her beliefs and speaking her mind cost her the crown. She told Fox News that god was testing her faith. When she found out that Perez Hilton later called her a "c***", she condescendingly said she'd pray for him.

Perez Hilton told Larry King that the question was vetted beforehand. He said Miss California lost the pageant because of how she phrased her answer, how inarticulately it was couched.

To be clear: There was absolutely nothing wrong with the question. Some are saying that the question should have never been posed. Not true. Also to be cleared up: There was absolutely nothing wrong with the answer. An opinion was asked. An opinion was given.

Miss California lost the 2009 Miss USA crown because of her ineloquence. She stumbled over her wording. She said "opposite marriage", which was a nervous mistake, as was "my country" (which made it sound as if Perez Hilton lived in someone else's country). She also said "I think I believe" which gives the impression that she does not really know what she believes. And Carrie Prejean said that she lived in a country where they can choose between same-sex marriage and "opposite marriage," which is not true. First of all, no one chooses between a same-sex marriage and a straight marriage (assuming that is what Miss California was stumbling around). You're either homosexual and want to marry another homosexual (or not), or you're straight and wish to marry someone of the opposite gender (or not). Miss California first presupposes that homosexuality is a choice. Her answer also suggests that heterosexuality is as well. And as for having the opportunity to enter into a same-sex marriage, that can only happen in three states, not in "my country," our country, or most of the country. Not even in Miss California's home state. Heterosexual partners can choose whether or not to get married in every state and commonwealth of the union.

In summation: A poor, not well thought out response to a question that should have been easily answered.

But kudos to Miss California for standing up for her beliefs, regardless of how inarticulately expressed. She has a right to them, as does every American.

But did her opinion cost her the 2009 Miss America crown? Possibly. Her answer was a controversial bombshell, poorly phrased or not. It may have made the judges uncomfortable. It is a known fact that it angered at least one judge. And considering that Miss California was the clear frontrunner after the swimsuit and evening gown competitions, it would be safe to say that her opinion may have cost her the crown.

And it may not have...

The Miss USA contestants are trained professionals, skilled in the art of public speaking. It is also possible that the absolute lack of elegance in phrasing, the clumsiness in articulation, and the overall ineloquence of the answer cost Miss California the crown.

But it made the first loser famous. And it will no doubt land her an anchoring position at Fox News.

Quick. Again: Who won the 2009 Miss USA Pageant?

That's right. No matter how you look at her, her answer, or the subsequent controversy, Miss California Carrie Prejean walked away the winner Sunday evening...

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For those who would rather not google the answer: The winner of the 2009 Miss USA Pageant was Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton. As noted, Carrie Prejean was first runner-up.

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Sources:

"2009 Miss USA Pageant," NBC Television

"Larry King Live," CNN Television

Fox News

Published by Saul Relative

WVU graduate, with degrees in History, English, Secondary Education, Computer Programming, and Psychology (and nearly a degree in Political Science). Originally from West Virginia, with stints in Virginia,... View profile

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Miss Controversial Carrie Prejean: Dumb or Just Plain Honest?

Did What Miss California Carrie Prejean Say Cost Her the Miss USA Crown?

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