Out of all the contestants in last night’s Miss USA pageant, only two affirmed they thought evolution should be taught in schools.
The winner, 21-year-old Alyssa Campanella was one of the two. The rest either confused the question with evolution of species (versus the intelligent design debate), or stated that they thought both should be taught in school, according to Scientific American.
Campanella and Alida D’Angona from Massachusetts were the only two contestants to state that they fully believed in evolution, according to Think Progress.
Apparently, all of the Miss USA contestants were aware of the question before they were asked it in the preliminary rounds. In recent years the contest has attempted to avoid delicate subjects such as this, according to Think Progress.
While 96 percent of the contestants essentially avoided the question or indicating that people should look at both the religious and the scientific perspective, there were also those who firmly opposed evolution. Perhaps most prominently was Miss Alabama, Madeline Mitchell’s opinion that evolution should flot-out(sic) not be taught in schools.
My world is getting scary. In the first place, many of these young women sound like they don’t understand the question, even though they knew about it before hand. I fail to understand why religion and science are even competing. Have these attractive women been told that its unfeminine to think? Are people afraid of being offensive? Is ‘evolution’ a dirty word?
‘Evolution’ really is very much of an understatement when it comes to the origins of the earth and the development of plants and animals over the eons. There are many types of ‘evolution’ from genes changing to species changing. Biological evolution is both fact and theory. People often confuse biological evolution with cosmogony, the study of the creation of the universe. The subsequent development of the earth from molten matter to the form we recognize today is a form of geological evolution, but this study really isn’t evolution.
I am of the firm belief that all it takes is one trip to the Grand Canyon and the first 60 seconds gaping at its awe and majesty to convince most folks that the earth is not 6,000 years old and that only a supreme being could put the mechanics in place for mother nature to form anything quite that spectacular. Science and religion are on a collision course only if we throw up artificial barriers that prevent us being thinking beings. Meanwhile, let school handle the science and church handle the religion. Everyone wins.
Evolution? Was THAT what the girls were talking about? I must have gotten distracted by all the eye candy and missed that part completely. Shame on me!
@Wolverine, you didn’t miss much. The eye candy was definitely out of its league on this one.
The Catholic Church teaches evolution.
While I didn’t hear the answers, I guess that they could be trying to avoid ANY offense. This is a contest, and a firm answer might get a no vote.
Then I guess most of those women weren’t Catholic.
Why should people try to be politically correct about something so basic. Answer the question honestly and be done with it. I was disturbed that so many sounded like they didn’t really understand what evolution was.
Maybe they didn’t. And if they are products of public skoolin’……
then its probably not a religious based ignorance or rejection.
Are you serious that you’re surprised that they are trying to dodge the question? The whole thing is a trap. On any serious question, who knows what the judges actually want. Look what happened the last time with Perez Hilton..You know, I never understood why they had a gay man judging a beauty contest…..
@cargo
Why not a gay man? How about a little objectivity? Don’t we want a man to use his….never mind. Let’s just not even go there.
I am surprised that dishonesty and placating is such a part of an effed up sideshow. It used to be that people were judged by how well they supported their answers, not what the answer was.
@Moon-howler
And that’s why, over the years, “I just want world peace for the chilluns and the baby seals.” was the standard answer. Its always been that way. Its only recently that the pageant has actually asked “serious” questions. You know, because its not a beauty contest. The contestants have to show “depth” for a total of 5 minutes.
Anyone else not find it ironic that THINK PROGRESS is covering a beauty show? What would the femanists say??
*shocker* The contestant that said she was pro-‘evolution’ won? Who would’ve thunk?
My other take on this is that THINK PROGRESS is anti-woman.
Oh, and this also shows you how BAD our public education system is. 🙂
I went back to take a look at the bikini part of that contest. That’s Moon’s fault. She led me into temptation. Whoeee! Whether it was evolution or the mysterious hand of a great deity which put that handiwork together, it was A plus all the way around, I tell you.
@Wolverine, ok, is my new name Satan Moon????? 👿
what is the most troublesome to me, is that many of these women were so inarticulate in their attempt to convey solid “reasoning” of why evolution should not be taught in schools.
You know what I LOVE about Natalie Portman, Brooke Shields, Cindy Crawford, Jody Foster, and a host of other very attractive and successful actors? They clearly demonstrate beauty AND brains!
Hah! Miss Arizona, I believe, is a violinist with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. I’d like to see any of those Hollywooders read Mozart or Beethoven from sheet music. Beauty and brains indeed!!!
I (and I suppose quite a few other men) care deeply about what these ladies think about science, evolution, and a number of other topics. Actually, I had an idea. How ’bout we line them up in their bikinis and have them be absolutely silent. The one who stays silent the longest wins that portion of the competition. It should be 50% of the total score.
@Wolverine, was Miss AZ a winner? Did she know anything about evolution? I have jumbled all the brains and beauty up…I can’t remember.
Hats off to anyone who can play a violin. Shudder.
@Slow
you sure have confirmed what many of us have thought for years. Oh wait, its all about the scholarship money. That’s the ticket.
If its all about brains and scholarships, then lets put them all in burkas. Or should they just admit that its a beauty contest?