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From: tommyo@ihuxw.UUCP (Tom O`Connor)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: Miss America
Message-ID: <931@ihuxw.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Jul-84 13:35:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxw.931
Posted: Tue Jul 24 13:35:01 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 01:05:10 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 34

I think the pageant officials had every right to ask for Ms.
Williams` title.  No matter how old-fashioned you may consider
the pageant to be, they look upon the title of Miss America
as being one of a role-model, someone young girls can look up
to.  I would venture to guess that the contestants aren`t there
just for their looks.  They are intelligent, talented, articulate
women who can be looked up to and admired.  Looking at past
winners like Lee Meriwether and Mary Ann Mobley, we see women
who have become very successful, with nice families and good
personalities.  Now I`ll admit Vanessa Williams had to be just
a little more special because she was the first black chosen,
unfortunately, and had to endure the press that quizzed her on
topics that previous Miss America`s never would have been asked.
But she made a big mistake in posing for those photographs.
The whole image of Miss America, no matter how unrealistic
some might believe it is, had been seriously tarnished.  I
could no longer say to my little sister "Wouldn`t you like
to be like her?"  I`m not about to give her the impression
that I don`t see anything wrong with such immorality.  Other
people may say it`s no big deal, but I think it is.  The
title and the role of Miss America is to be a role model.
And though I`m sure Vanessa Williams did a lot for the title
with all her public appearances, etc. this incident puts a
very large black mark on her reign.  It never does take much.
Richard Nixon may have opened up talks with the Mainland
Chinese and had other good points about his term as president,
but Watergate, one incident, will hound him for the rest of
his life and of course caused him to resign.  I support the
decision of the pageant officials.  I do NOT condemn the
Ms. Williams for posing for those photgraphs, but I certainly
do not codone them.

Tom O`Connor
ihuxw!tommyo