Facts may be triggering

Sad Demoman noises.

I once was saying in a hotel in Bastrop, Texas and the best thing on TV was a spanish dubbed Star Trek (original). Dude doing Scotty hit the accent PERFECTLY and in full Spanish language. Funniest thing I've EVER seen / heard.

That said- Scotland is- rough numbers- 1:10 non white. So it would be nice to include and represent at least one person of another group. But here is where it gets tricky. A “fair” and competitive competition is on merit. The Olympic high jump doesn’t throw a couple obese folks in or paraplegics just so they can be represented- the thing that gets you in the door is that you are competitive. If you weigh 560lbs and can do a 6ft vertical leap- you are likely to get in if you try out.

But the rub here? A beauty contest or a “pageant” isn’t an objective competition. It’s subjective and based on the beauty standards and other criteria of the mainstream culture hosting. That means that certain groups are inherently disadvantaged. Numerous studies as well as observation show us that beauty and cultural standards as a genealogy vary around the globe and group to group. Someone who likes dark skin and hair as a sign of beauty for example- is unlikely to find the average Swedish woman appealing.

And that’s problematic. It’s sticky. On the one hand- it’s self evident that a competition judged on standards of a group is going to favor contestants that meet that standard. On the other hand though- as a society this sends a message to those who aren’t in those groups that they don’t belong or don’t meet the standards of society- and not by some mailable trait but by virtue of birth. It excludes these people from the mainstream society- we aren’t saying they can’t participate but we ARE saying that the results of their participation are determined before they even try. It’s a fine distinction but not allowing participation and having a predetermined outcome are largely the same in that both exclude people from any meaningful chance of success.

I don’t know how to handle that. I know it is worth talking about and trying to find answers that society as a whole including minority groups can agree is at least livable.