Miss America...

  Let me first say this...the fact that we have a Miss America pageant that only features women from the US is ridiculous. I mean considering America is made up of many countries...it's dumb to excluded everyone else and call it MISS AMERICA, but that's just my opinion. What I really want to talk about has less to do with the pageant and more to do with the state of the country I live in.
  The US I grew up in celebrated being a melting pot society. We liked being seen as the place where people from all over the world would come to live "the American Dream". In fact, it's something that has been bragged about for at least a century. But somewhere in the last 10 years that has taken a backseat, moving to the forefront has been the ugly side of the country. The intolerant, racist, hate-filled part of the country that doesn't want the melting pot to continue...at least not the part that features brown people.
   I'll go out on a limb and say it started after 9/11 anyone brown was considered Muslim and therefore an enemy of the state (except Mexicans, that's another story). I've heard of so many non-Muslims being targeted by racism just because they happen to look like someone who may come from the Middle East. Now, it's coming out in the form of racist remarks being lodged at the newly crowned Miss America.
   Her name is Nina Davuluri, she is from Syracuse, New York and is of Indian descent, but upon her winning she was instantly and repeatedly insulted by people saying she's not American. Why...because she's brown and not a Christian. Born and raised in New York state...how is that NOT American? Is it because she was first generation? Everyone except pure blooded Native (I really hate usually that word) Americans are the only ones who can say their family has never had a first generation (but even that can be left up to debate). So why take out this faux anger on this woman, who will use this money she won for medical school?
   It seems that some people in this country would rather have the Honey Boos and Mama Junes of this country represent us than a beautiful, intelligent, well-spoken brown woman...and those people confuse me deeply, but it speaks to a broader and deeper puzzle in the US. One that needs to be spoken about and debated but no one on either side is willing to actually listen...so we continue to have these types of issues because we are afraid to combat them head on.
   I, personally, am glad to have a beautiful, intelligent, well-spoken woman, no matter her color or background represent me as a citizen of the US!

   Congratulations Nina!