Sheer stupidity mixed with prejudice!

      Some of the hateful Twitter and Facebook posts regarding the selection of Nina Devaluri as Miss America are simply mind boggling in their ignorance, evidence of lack of education and racial chauvinism. One hardly knows where to start in addressing the mindless nattering of these inbred bigots.

          “Pookie” said: “And the Arab wins Miss America. Classic.”

First, Pookie, you moron,  Nina  Devaluri is American, born in Syracuse N.Y. and raised in Oklahoma and Michigan. She is as American as you, but obviously brighter  (she is pre-med) than you and your ilk.   Second, she is not an Arab. We Americans are some of the most ethnocentric and, therefore, geographically challenged people on the planet, and you obviously are the poster child for “duh.”  Neither she or her parents are Muslim, and, in fact (science tip here) Indians are actually classified as “Aryans,” which will confuse the Hitler Youth among your unwashed amigos.

“Jake Amick” said “How the fuck does a foreigner win Miss America? She is a Arab!”  See above, you semiliterate churlish bumpkin!

          A Miss Jessica Ayres showed her true colors with this gem of self contradiction: “I swear I'm not racist but this is America.”  One barely knows how to analyze this! If you’re not racist, what’s your problem?

          An equally ignorant Wendy Fraser posted “nice slap in the face to the people of 9-11 how pathetic.”  Unless there was a heretofore undisclosed Hindu connection to the events of 9/11, the meaning of this ludicrous post is lost in the hatred.

One of the most ridiculous quotes comes from an Audrey Graham who flatly states:  “Miss America is a terrorist. Whatever. It's fine.”

          The ignorance displayed above really has its roots in two areas. Racial/ Cultural  bigotry is obviously the first, since Ms. Devuluri is somewhat darker skinned than most Caucasians. She is, however, lighter than several African American Miss Americas, including my friend and former student, the drop dead gorgeous Ericka Dunlap (Miss America 2004). The fact that any person born in the United States is a citizen by birth obviously escapes the haters.

Nina Devaluri is as American as George Burns and the Marx Brothers, and more so than Irving Berlin.  Remember him? He wrote “God Bless America,” the song which coined the phrase many of you haters are so proud of spewing, usually right after some intolerant act or statement. As a Jewish immigrant, Israel Baline  (he changed his name) spent the first five years of his life in Russia, unlike Ms. Devaluri, who spent hers in New York and Oklahoma.  Maybe she should have changed her name to Nina Smith?

Another nasty undertone was expressed by several idiots who called her “Miss 7-11” in obvious reference to the many sub-contintent immigrants who work for convenience store chains. This stems, I suppose,  from the work ethic usually displayed by these recent immigrants which seems to elude many native born Americans these days.  In Miss America’s case it couldn’t be more egregiously incorrect.  Her father, his siblings and aunts and uncles on her mother’s side are all physicians. She is National Honor Society and Dean’s List at the University of Michigan and plans to become a cardiologist.

This isn't new.  Bess Myerson won the title in 1945, the first Jewess to do so. There were some mumblings and whining  during the pageant, including efforts by at least one sponsor to get her to change her name, as Myerson sounded "too Jewish". During her year as Miss America, she was scheduled to speak at a country club in the South, but had to cancel because the club barred Jews!

So in summary, it seems some Americans haven’t managed to get past the insecurity of having to share our country and our institutions with persons who look different or have names or religious beliefs unlike ours. It’s ugly, it’s wrong and it’s a constant reminder to the rest of the world in this era of worldwide instantaneous communication, that we speak a good game when we lecture them about human rights, but many Americans continue  to be haters and bigots here at home.