A Phoenix in Charlotte

All the cool kids are doing it. And by ‘it’, I mean being moronic talking meatsticks. Witness this Youtube link of Lauren Caitlin Upton, Miss Teen South Carolina, in the Miss Teen America pageant.

FWIW, my answer to the question of why a substantial portion of Americans polled couldn’t find the U.S. on a map: We are so self-absorbed that we have lost context and no longer realize or care that we are a part of a global community. We don’t give a damn about what goes on in the rest of the world unless American citizens are involved. We have become at once isolationist and imperialist. Hooray for us!

Edit: Here’s a transcript of the train wreck:

Aimee Teegarden: Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can’t locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?

South Carolina: I personally believe (pause) that (pause) U.S. Americans are unable to do so (pause) because Osama (changed mid word to ’some uhh’) people out there in our nation don’t *have* maps, and uhh, I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and, uhh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and (pause) I believe that they should uhh, our education over *here* in the U.S. should help the U.S., or should help the South Africa, and should help the Iraq and the Asian (buzzer sounds) countries, so we will be able to build up our future (Slater takes Mic away) for our (begins saying ‘children’ but becomes inaudible).

Slater: Thank you, very much, South Carolina

(applause from what hopefully is a machine)

Edit 2: She wants to go to Appalachian State University and major in Graphic Design. Maybe she can work on improving this PR video.