But why is it a good thing to pull the shows? What am I missing?

Well, Miss USA alone has been going on since the early 1950s. Miss America since just after WW1. Then, of course, there are local and state pageants, pageants sponsored by organizations, etc. So we are talking about literally MILLIONS of women who have participated for at least a century. They can’t all be shallow. As…

Yes, exactly! Pageants DO objectify women. Therefore we can disapprove of them. But it seems wrong to assume that all women who are involved in them are nothing more than objects- dolls, etc. It’s one thing they do at one point in their lives, and we shouldn’t be so reductive. People are multifaceted.

Oh yes, I don’t think it’s a great way to jump start a career, but then again I haven’t seen stats on that so I don’t know. Seems like there would be better ways to do that. But I’m assuming that they don’t need an “excuse” to do it. I assume most beauty queens participate in pageants because they enjoy it and are…

Not just that, but there are loads of ways to accomplish things and be more than a living doll other than becoming famous. Beauty queens are in pageants for a short period of their lives. Most of them move on to other careers and other endeavors afterwards, and they are as likely to have successful lives as the rest…

Wow. Parenting is SUCH hard work. The more I watch other people do it and discuss it with people, the more I realize that there are really no “this is what you do” answers. You have to find what works for your child and your family. I like the way you are choosing your battles and using real world consequences. Thank…

I believe your sincerity. I also don’t think you are responding appropriately. Things my post was NOT about: 1) How to talk to a suicidal person. 2) How to talk to a person who has attempted suicide. 3) Maintaining honest communication with loved ones. 4) The rationality of mental illness. 5) That suicide is selfish

I don’t know why you feel the need to keep repeating that. I don’t know how in the world my statement that it is selfish and terrible to force someone to kill you has translated in your mind to me telling someone who is suicidal or who has attempted suicide that they are selfish. I’m not sure what is going on here.

I never had fussy dressing toddlers around, but sometimes they throw fits about not being able to wear their Batman costumes to play outside and stuff (too hot). Not my kids, so I don’t know what goes on at home with mom alone, but I have to ask then. So your little girl throws a fit and doesn’t want to wear that.…

Two things...

People can eventually get to the point that they perceive that the suffering of living is worse than the suffering that people they love will face if they die. I’ve been on both ends of it- contemplating suicide myself (years ago) and facing the suicide of a loved one. And let me tell you, surviving it is worse than…

I’m not missing the point. Both things can be true at the same time. And I’m talking about people who force others to kill them- not people who kill themselves. I understand that they are not thinking straight. That doesn’t change the fact that forcing someone else to kill you is a terrible thing to do to someone that…

Agree with all that, but no matter how great a society we create, there will always be suicide. But of course, I agree that the person is suffering and not thinking straight. That doesn’t change the fact that it can seriously damage the life of the person who kills them forever, and that is a terrible thing to do to…

I don’t think it is selfish. I think the person who does it is really suffering and not thinking straight but not selfish. The selfish part is if you commit suicide by forcing someone else to kill you- like jumping in front of traffic. Then the other person has to live with that forever, and that’s terrible.

I agree with all that. You are right; that is what is happening. But I still can’t wrap my head around what makes any of them take such a drastic step. I mean, I get that they might join a cult or get married to an extremist or whatever. But very few people ever go so far as to relocate to another country and join an…

Thanks for the link.

I forgot to add that these gals, from an Eastern culture with all that entails with their parents and religion and immigrant community, are living in the West with all that entails. So they have this pretty common identity conflict that loads of kids in that situation go through in these years. We call them ABCDs in…

We raise kids with the expectation that they are special and entitled to an exciting, successful life. If they are not then also good enough at something or hard working enough or socially/emotionally stable enough to find their place in something bigger than them where they can get a sense of belonging and…

I wish some of these people would just say, “Yup, I’m a liar”.

I think the conspiracy theory quoted above makes sense. It looks like you can kinda see the space between the toes on the right one.