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Dumb as Nails

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:01:09 PM EST
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I first saw this over at Sideshow. It seems to be becoming a national story. It is quite amazing that the aspiring Ms. Teen South Carolina, Lauren Caitlin, could be so stupid.

If you haven't seen it yet, check it out for a good laugh.

The winner, by the way, was Miss Teen Colorado, Hilary Carol Cruz.

Update 8/28: She answers the question much better on the Today Show today.

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    Dumb as Nails | 38 comments (38 topical)

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    it's pathetic, really. (5.00 / 3) (#1)
    by Compound F on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:06:39 PM EST
    I honestly feel bad for her.  She has been victimized by her culture and educational system.

    Add parents to the list of guilty parties. (5.00 / 2) (#9)
    by magster on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:34:50 PM EST


    Parent
    That is so well put (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 09:21:28 AM EST
    I wish I could give you a flower.

    Parent
    We should, um, South Africa and THE Iraq! (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by andgarden on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:13:39 PM EST


    But she would have nailed it (5.00 / 4) (#3)
    by Maryb2004 on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:18:28 PM EST
    if she'd just figured out how to fit "world peace" into the response.

    Wonder when she'll be on Letterman.

    She was trying (5.00 / 1) (#26)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 09:25:23 AM EST
    she was careening and veering haphazardously toward world peace.  It is a long road though from finding the U.S. on a map to the attainment of world peace ;)

    Parent
    That's so sad (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by mcjoan on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:18:44 PM EST
    on so many levels.

    She can't be that bad (5.00 / 2) (#18)
    by joejoejoe on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 10:22:33 PM EST
    She likely had some  A) stock prepared answers (Iraq, children, education), B) zero knowledge or interest in geography (she's not in the minority in this), C) was nervous as hell, and D) probably isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. It was a perfect storm of circumstances to make her sound functionally illiterate but I'm guessing she isn't nearly as dumb as she sounds. People who are that dumb usually learn to mimic functionality very well from survival instincts alone. This girl sounded like she was spouting random words of gibberish like she had a glitch. In a way, I think she did have a glitch.

    Hopefully she'll get a chance to go on the Today Show or something and say she is working hard to learn more and be better informed and she hopes people give her the same chance as the beauty pagaent contestants who were doing body shots and  taking lewd photos. I think she deserves at least that chance but I'm not sure if 'saying dumb stuff' is as sexy for the news bookers as flashing your bra in a bar.

    Parent

    Yesterday on Tomorrow (5.00 / 2) (#19)
    by joejoejoe on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 10:27:48 PM EST
    Apparently she was already on The Today Show today and did fine.

    Parent
    Please, someone throw the girl a map (none / 0) (#22)
    by Ellie on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 11:10:51 PM EST
    The explanation of why 1/5 can't find a pretty HUGE nation on a map is classic:

    "US Americans are unable to do so because some people in our nation don't have maps," ... (everywhere like such as) ...


    Parent

    here's a map (none / 0) (#32)
    by scribe on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 10:56:25 AM EST
    courtesy of our friends at Deadspin.

    Her situation is so sad, it made my teeth hurt when her taped performance was on Olbermann last night.

    Parent

    uhmm (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Jen M on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:22:12 PM EST
    What???

    Um (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by squeaky on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:25:53 PM EST
    Maybe she was just nervous..... Not used to talking I suppose.

    But how in the world (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by andgarden on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:43:01 PM EST
    did she come up with South Africa?

    Parent
    Obviously She Is (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by squeaky on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:48:56 PM EST
    A big fan of Bush and has memorized all his speeches. Didn't he mention SA once?

    Parent
    No, you're thinking of BOTSWANA! (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by magster on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:56:12 PM EST


    Parent
    Oh Right (none / 0) (#17)
    by squeaky on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 10:11:44 PM EST
    Yes, he was praising Nelson Mandela as a predisent of Botswana. Miss South Carolina is smarter than you think.  

    Parent
    And how in the world did she get to (none / 0) (#27)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 09:27:41 AM EST
    Ms. Teen South Carolina and not talk much?  Maybe she was having a bad day.

    Parent
    Are YOu Kidding? (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by squeaky on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 10:25:49 AM EST
    Ms. Teen South Carolina and not talk much?
    Seems to me that she could have made it up the ranks wiht lots of smiles and uh huhs.

    Also, besides just being nervous, being a blonde the question cut close to the bone for her. My guess it that she has been called a dumb blonde more than once in her life.

    Parent

    Sadly true (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 10:30:59 AM EST
    We girls tend to aim to please from an early age.  I was lucky enough to have a head full of reddish brown, not even red enough to be considered sexy.  I was patted on the head and told my only hope was to be able to think a bit and so I did ;)

    Parent
    Ha (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by squeaky on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 11:03:55 AM EST
    You would have been the same if you had hair made out of gold, just way more dangerous.

    Parent
    I couldn't watch the whole thing.... (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by jerry on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:39:22 PM EST
    That was painful.

    I wonder where she stands on impeaching Bush? (5.00 / 2) (#12)
    by magster on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:44:33 PM EST


    Ahhhh hahahaha! (none / 0) (#28)
    by Edger on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 09:33:54 AM EST


    Parent
    She says she misunderstood the question (5.00 / 3) (#15)
    by roy on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:59:04 PM EST
    According to somebody.

    So I guess there's a question out there to which her answer seems pretty smooth.

    It's not the easiest question in that situation (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by joc on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 10:30:25 PM EST
    While I certainly won't defend her decision to start talking about South Africa or Iraq (I have no idea where that was coming from), I think you should put yourself in her shoes for a moment and think about what she was being asked and where she was.

    Imagine for a moment that you are on a national stage. You are seeking the approval of the judges, hopeful to be named to be the representative/role model for young girls across the nation (whether a teen beauty queen is your version of a role model, it is what they are thinking). And the following question comes to you in an only slightly more tactful form:

    'Why do you think so many Americans are so stupid?'

    You look into the camera an with only a second to consider the question, what do you say?

    At my age, I would feel fairly comfortable chastising the educational system in public. Did I feel that way as a teenager? I doubt it. And I would have never been asked to do so on a national stage. So, I'm going to cut her a little slack, hoping that she was struggling to keep from offending anyone rather than giving what was the most well thought out answer she could manage.

    (As an aside, I would like to thank Jeralyn for clearing up an odd  experience that happened to me on Friday, when I was driving down the street here in Pasadena, I saw a young woman unsteadily walking down the road in 3-4 inch heels in the late afternoon, wearing what looked to be a rather expensive dress, and a sash. As she was clutching something in her hands across her chest the only word I could make out on the sash was a sparkling Miss. I clicked through on the link above, and sure enough it was the new Miss Teen USA.)

    NOT a beauty contest, competition for scholarships (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by Ellie on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 10:51:33 PM EST
    I'd jump onto the pile-on but for (a) realizing she's spent half her educational life in the Bush and (b) factoring in age and handling, she's not far removed from the stupendous idiocy shown by the First Loafer.

    She's perfectly qualified -- maybe even overqualified -- to head one of the language and concept mangling sub-divisions in the WH's Dept of Hooey.

    Do you smarty pants elitists think those utterly nonsensical Wile E. Coyote strategeries like "fight terra cells there so we don't fight them here" come from write themselves?

    Stage fright. n/t (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by Edger on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 09:36:09 AM EST


    You Forget Edger (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by squeaky on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 11:15:39 PM EST
    Not all people are of equal value for ppj, whether they are children or not. Blond nordic trumps swarthy arabic without a second thought. Master race and all....

    You have no shame (1.00 / 1) (#35)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 10:29:41 PM EST
    Do you realize that you are attacking an 18 year old child?

    Who probably has lived a sheltered life, and who probably had a huge case of nerves and who probably was all set for the big "help the world" question..

    Good God. I am embarassed for you.

    Hmm (none / 0) (#4)
    by rdandrea on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:18:38 PM EST
    Jeralyn, no offense, but when was the last time you were a customer of our public education system?

    It's been nearly 10 years for me, but ever since "no child left behind" it has gone downhill fast.

    This girl, pretty as she is, is a pretty typical product.

    When the President was growing up, you could blame it on drugs.  Nowadays, you need to blame it on a President on drugs.

    It's been (5.00 / 3) (#8)
    by Jeralyn on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 09:28:03 PM EST
    forever since I was in the public school system. But, the TL kid was in it within the past ten years and he has done just fine.

    I disagree she's a typical product. Plenty of kids her age are graduating public school and on their way to a first class college.

    I suspect her idiocy is more the product of her spending time on refining her physical image to win beauty contests than on enhancing her mind. That's not the fault of the school system.

    Parent

    Nicely said (none / 0) (#38)
    by Jlvngstn on Wed Aug 29, 2007 at 10:08:34 AM EST


    Parent
    Please Stop It (none / 0) (#16)
    by bselznick on Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 10:10:55 PM EST
    Oh My God.

    When i stop laughing, i am going to shove forks into my eyes and blame South Africa for having so many Asians, because I'm the US and like Iraq and China have education you know and...

    Hey, where's my applause?

    It's funny... (none / 0) (#23)
    by Deconstructionist on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 08:17:49 AM EST
    It's sad, but come on. Her performance has nothing to do with the  George Bush's presidency or even the general state of the schools in this country. Is her answer linking poor performance in basic geograhpy to the lack of maps and whatever the Hell else she was trying to say any sillier than using a teenager's embarassing moment to criticize the Administration or make broad generalizations about the schools and culture? I'd say not and leat she wasn't mean and vindictive.

    Ok. I'll say it. (none / 0) (#24)
    by Edger on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 09:04:38 AM EST
    Since no one else will.

    That has to be her natural hair color.

    </tongue in cheek snark>

    She reminds me of the two wingnut blondes walking down the street, when one of them says to the other: "Awwww - look at the poor little dead birdie!!!", and the second one looks up and says "Where???"

    LMAO .... (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by scribe on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 10:58:08 AM EST
    watch the birdie....

    Parent
    Jeralyn, this is, indeed, a surprising and (none / 0) (#39)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Aug 29, 2007 at 12:17:31 PM EST
    uncharacteristically unkind comment from you:
    It is quite amazing that the aspiring Ms. Teen South Carolina, Lauren Caitlin, could be so stupid.
    Especially coming from someone who also spends time in front of the camera.

    Dumb as Nails | 38 comments (38 topical)

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