Miss USA (obviously)

[maDstoP]

Unfortunately caught the beginning of the Miss USA 'beauty' pageant the other night when Miss various states competed for the national title. How annoying was it the way all the contestants had to say they were from U S A!

"Hi I'm blah blah, 19 or 20 something, from blah blah, USA!"

Wasnt it obvious that ALL the contestants were from america? Was it not the Miss USA contest? Do any other nations get their national contestants to specify the fact that they are from that country? Ppl like to criticise Singapore but at least in the Miss Singapore contest you didnt have ppl say "Hi, I'm blahblah, 21 from Woodlands, Singapore!"

[Flippy]

Didn't cacth the Miss USA thing on TV, but, forgive me, I can't find anything wrong with people showing a little national pride from any country. That's all it sounds like to me, a bunch of girls competing to be Miss USA and when they introduce themselves, they are saying: "Hi I'm blah blah, 19 or 20 something, from blah blah, USA!" (Adding the USA part is the bit of national pride I was referring to.)

Is your disdain for the USA (and Americans, clearly) so great that you can't even tolerate Americans being proud of the country they come from??? What were you watching the contest for anyway......oh yeah, the pretty girls....duh, I should have guessed. But, you do know, they are American, right?

[maDstoP]

Notice how I wrote that I caught the beginning (unfortunately), which might have suggested to others that I stayed on a channel too long or hopped over to the wrong channel or the right channel at the wrong time. So no I wasnt watching it for the girls. And I purposely didnt make any comment re: how they looked and I wont now, save to say that I wasnt impressed. For your lack of imagination I'll tell you that I was doing other things whilst the TV was on, much like a radio is on.

Proud is both a positive and negative adjective. I'm all for national pride, sometimes there isnt enough of it, sometimes theres too much of it. But in the context of the show you must realise that it was the Miss USA show, that all the contestants are from the USA is a given. It was the way that the obvious was stated, again and again, that got me. Think about it.... its the Miss USA show and you have 51 ladies introducing themselves and 51 times you hear that they are from U S A (and this wasnt delivered matter of factly). This is overkill not national pride and a very american way of doing things (right or wrong).

Disdain is a bit strong but I'm not surprised you used the word considering there are ppl out there who would gladly be labelled in that way. I however wouldnt go so far as to say I have disdain for america or americans (and the 2 are not interchangeable). There are certain american characteristics which I find offensive and unnecessary, much as there are Chinese or French or German or English characteristics etcetc - it doesnt mean I have disdain for these nations either. As for the land itself, been there several times, liked it most of the time, situation is a bit like France, nice place shame its full of americans :O

Anyway, where I come from this is just banter with some mild ribbing injected which should occasionally be taken in jest and affectionately. Its not something to get worked up about cos there are more serious and pressing issues in the world. If the americans amongst you find what I have said insulting then thats tough on you. I'm not about to apologise for things I've written taken out of context or read in the wrong light. Remember the English language uses tones to differentiate meaning, what is written in words can be read or interpreted many ways. The first interpretation is not always the correct one.

[Reason]

> This is overkill not national pride and a very american way of doing things (right or wrong).<

If I painted an American flag on the roof of my Corvette and drove around Paris, I would be lambasted for extreme nationalism. When a Brit puts the Union Jack on his Mini and drives around Chicago, he gets smiles from those he drives past.

The reason that Americans are thought to overdo their nationalism is that American publications and broadcasts circle the globe. I don't know why there is a demand for the Miss USA pageant on TV in Singapore, but evidently there is. You were unfortunate enough to happen across it. The pageant was not produced for foreign audiences. Nobody gave the British, French, Singaporeans, etc. any thought when they made the show.

When Time Magazine puts the gold medal winning 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team on its cover, for some reason that magazine may end up in a doctor's office in Istanbul - completely out of context. The Turkish taxi driver that sees this mag may draw the conclusion that Americans are over the top with pride.

You have evidently fallen victim to "the taxi driver's fallacy."

[George Bush]

It's about marketing.   The Miss USA contest is runner-up to the Miss America contest, so they're drumming the name of the show into the audience.

[abc]

Got it!!!

I tought the show producers (who obviously instruct the poor gals about every word to be on air) never read "New Yorker" or "Elements of style", that define the standards for proper English language use.
I guess marketing comes before good language. And the fact that by using clishes and repetitions the girls look more stupid than they actualy are (I bet some gals are prety shrewd politicians to reach there)  maybe even increases the show ratings!!!
Were they selling soap or cars?
Since I hate TV, the guessing game who the viewers are and what is to be sold best on particular show is my only way to manage watching several minutes of "low class" entertainment.

"Cinema is the opium of the masses" said Lenin. Today's PR gurus use its offspring TV at its best.

[PhilM]

Sorry Lenin did not coin that phrase - it was Karl Marx who wrote "Religion ist das Opium des Volkes!"  (Religion is the Opium of the masses.)

The phrase has been plagarised to describe addiction to many things including the cinema so I understand why you used it in that context.

[abc]

Thanks for the correction.
I meant not the TV addiction itself, but the fact that it helps avoid thinking of more meaningful issues.
Actually Marx adapted Nero's (? I'm sure you know better than me) "give people bread and show"...