Miss Philippines: "Thank you so much, sir, for that wonderful question. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Good evening, Las Vegas. You know what, sir? In my 22 years of existence, I can say there is nothing major, major, I mean, problem that I have done in my life. Because I am very confident with my family, with the love that they are giving to me. So thank you so much that I am here. Thank you, thank you so much."
There has been rampant speculation that her answer cost her the crown, and I think I know why: Nobody believed her. A 22-year-old with no baggage? No way. Couldn't be true. Makes no sense.
Because that doesn't match the media depiction of normalcy. We don't celebrate individuals with a clean track record. We shun them. And in their place, we lionize those who make fools of themselves under the guise of reality programming. (If this sounds like a "holier-than-thou" pitch, it isn't. Had someone asked me on Monday night about my mistakes through age 22, I'd still be talking.)
Consider that if NBC's Miss Universe broadcast wasn't your first programming choice, you had some alternatives: Kate Plus 8 or Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Jersey Shore or Jerseylicious. Maybe The Real Housewives of New Jersey and New York and D.C. and Orange County and Atlanta. Or the granddaddy of them all, The Real World - where, ironically, nothing appears remotely real.
Society is being conditioned to believe that these shows represent reality. They don't. Is there anything remotely relevant to your life in Snooki's getting arrested for disorderly conduct or The Situation's flashing his abs?
