Fenxy

WOW

Because people in the US can't find the US on a map, we should help other nations. At least I think that's what she said.

*facepalm

*hangs head

*cries

Women...

*runs

Such as.... such as.... such as.... South Africa and US Americans.

THE Iraq...

The War in THE Iraq.

I just..... ... .... WHA?

Man, I wish I had sound at work. It's as pathetic as not even bringing in my own computer speakers--it's about having a machine that even comes equipped with a sound card. UGH.

What is it about YouTube that rapes the Notes layout?

Layout seems fine over here. What's the problem?

Repost the embed code and never edit it after.

Fixed.

I saw this last night.
and heard (the audio) again on the radio this morning.
Can we take her out and shoot her yet?
She lowered my IQ a couple points I think.

Her info online is even funnier when you compare it to her performance on that video.

She wants to do Special Effects for movies... I guess no one told her that it requires a computer and brains.

Wait... what?

Transcription of Ms. South Carolina's "Speech"

I personally believe that US americans are unable to do so because uh some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as south africa and the iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should uh our education over here in the US should help the US er should help south africa and help the iraq and the asian countries so we will be able to build up our future.

I find it interesting that South Africa is a parallel to Iraq in her mind.

I like the fact she's extended the USA to include Iraq and South Africa. That's the ticket don't bomb people buy them maps - that will sort out world peace. And yes the US education seems to have done you so proud miss it should therefore be spread across the entire USA along with said maps - I propose you try the little known state of Australia next.

Before I watched the video, I really wanted to feel badly for her. Being on stage in front of thousands of people, knowing your every movement is being broadcast to the entire nation, has to be unnerving. But when I saw this video for the first time, I just wanted to curl up and die of embarrassment. For the nation, but also for her.

It sounds like her pageant coach told her that if she ever got stuck on a question, to try and relate it to Iraq or world politics and sound intelligent in that way. I think the plan backfired.

It sounds like her pageant coach told her that if she ever got stuck on a question, to try and relate it to Iraq or world politics and sound intelligent in that way. I think the plan backfired.

I agree with this.

Upton said she “completely misunderstood” the question.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting (the question). I lost my train of thought.”

I think everybody's being a little too hard on the girl. We've all had embarrassing public speaking moments or times when we've made asses of ourselves. Let's have a little sympathy here.

Thanks for the transcription, Ozone. :)

Sorry, sympathy is a rare commodity in my ball park :)

I lost my train of thought.

I'd say she lost the entire public transport system actually

nothing like the internet for beating up on folks you don't know eh!

Oh. My. God.

It could be said that she was hedging her bets! Hohoho.

(Ignore Wikipedia's ridiculous definition and look it up in a dictionary if you don't 'get it'.)

And what was that little piece about Asia...oh maybe she meant to say everyone in a Asia has a map and knows how to read it. ...

Scholarship Pageant my ass - we reap what we sow, we sow what we covet, we covet the wrong things.

Wait... am I missing something here?

A 5th of Americans can't locate the US on a World map?!! Forget posting videos of the meat-in-a-dress there and start posting maps!

Nothing short of amazing.

For your consideration.

To those who are so quick to criticize, when was the last time you were asked a question in front of ~50 peers, a live audience and rolling TV cameras? I agree the answer is nonsense, but do you honestly feel that you could handle the pressure any better? I know I've duffed a question or two in my talks/lectures and it's a rotten feeling.

It seems sad that so many of you feel the need to laugh at another's misfortune. I expect it on digg/youtube, but not here. Sad.

Mary

indeed, this is nothing more than school kids giggling in the corner of the playground.

sad? yes, pathetic? no doubt in my mind!

A defense? Wow, unexpected.

Perhaps she's not a complete idiot when she's not under pressure. The pressure is part of the contest though, and they know that going into it. I didn't think this particular girl's intelligence (or failure under pressure,) was really the humorous part. For me, the humor came in tangentially.

Q: Why can't 1/5th of US citizens find the USA on a map?
A: Incoherent nonsense. Iraq. South Africa.

(Audience wonders if she can find any of those places on a map.)

Now I expect very stupid answers at beauty pageants, but this really took the cake. I expect some flub ups on syntax, pronunciation, even giving answers that aren't directly connected to the question. That's what happens in these settings. This was just in another league.

I'd go so far to say it was iconic for the genre. I do pity the girl. She's now known nation wide, if not world wide. She will have to change her look to even attempt to ever live this down.

Now I expect very stupid answers at beauty pageants, but this really took the cake. I expect some flub ups on syntax, pronunciation, even giving answers that aren't directly connected to the question. That's what happens in these settings. This was just in another league.

My point is that people goof up all the time when public speaking and answering unexpected questions often yield unexpected responses. Many of you write as though it has never happened to you which suggests that you've been quite fortunate and/or you don't command much of an audience when you speak.

I'd go so far to say it was iconic for the genre. I do pity the girl. She's now known nation wide, if not world wide. She will have to change her look to even attempt to ever live this down.

Iconic? Only in the sense that, in this day and age, humiliation can be relived in perpetuity via youtube.

This thread is essentially all about pointing and laughing at a 17 year old young woman. WTF?

Mary

I agree the answer is nonsense, but do you honestly feel that you could handle the pressure any better?

They don't just toss up a moron (we HOPE) in front of a camera and ask them nonsensical questions to attempt to trip them up. These girls have coaches and trainers that rehearse these things with them ad nauseam so they DON'T do what this chick did.

On her bio she claims to be an award winning designer, with awards for her Photoshop skills and a drive to either do movie special effects or commercial advertising. You can't be as dumb as a rock and pull that off. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt that she was nervous but still.

If you're asked a question about the stupidity of the American public, DON'T LOOK STUPID. It's one thing to say things like "I love puppies!" and another to make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

I'm not surprised to see the normal "come to the rescue" folks sticking up for her. Sad thing is... as the question states there ARE a TON of stupid people in this country and the vast majority of them are that way by fault of our government education system.

it's worth the watch as it makes me SAD to be an American if this is what the rest of the world sees when they think "American".

Yes, you are so 'sad' and ashamed that you feel the need to share this video with more people. Right.

These girls have coaches and trainers that rehearse these things with them ad nauseam so they DON'T do what this chick did.

Do you suppose she had more or less training than the current US president?

I'm not surprised to see the normal "come to the rescue" folks sticking up for her.

Likewise, I'm not surprised to see the usual crowd of gawking rubberneckers. But what do I know, I'm just another chick trying to find my way out of a bag.

Mary

Somehow I half expected you to pull a jab on Bush somewhere in this thread... thanks for that.

I do fully believe that in order to be PERCEIVED as intelligent, one must be able to communicate. I will say that the current President IS a poor public speaker and that fact leads to the assumption that he's missing a few bolts. You have to have a severely altered state of reality to assume that the United States could be run by a mentally deficient Head of State (even poorly).

Now, that being said... THIS IS WHAT THEY PRACTICE FOR. If she had WON the competition then I would have been even more upset as not only would she have to put her self up as some form of role model, but a message would be sent to anyone who idolizes these people that it doesn't matter if you cannot make sense of the English language... as long as you're cute, people will just pat you on the back and give you the benefit of the doubt.

One would think that the contestants and those who advocate and push these narcissistic competitions, would want a positive image of the people who compete in these things. Instead, year after year after year we hear the same old vapid airheaded BS. You wonder where all the stereotypes come from.

I've read a LOT of your posts there Mary and not once have I ever likened you to a vapid air headed bimbo.

and to be perceived as morally obtuse, misogynistic, chowder head you have only to scour YouTube for lame videos, post them on a message board, point and laugh.

Mission Accomplished

(that's another Bush jab there for you)

Is this one of those times where if someone screws up they should be treated "special" and felt pity for to the extent where they don't realize they've screwed up?

THIS IS WHAT THEY PRACTICE FOR. If she had WON the competition...

...then she would have had to do more public speaking than any other time in her life. These girls have to look pretty initially, but then for the whole year they are crowned they go around the country/world speaking in front of hundreds. I guess she didn't think that public speaking isn't for her (it's not for everyone), and I guess she might not have thought about what happens when you do win.

Even in all the post dumbass moment interviews she STILL stutters, peppers her speech with "um's" and "uh's" and has that same "valley girl" tone in her voice.

Listen to a well educated woman speak... you'll notice something.

Notes is here for entertainment and discussion... If you don't find something of that nature in this note (as we're all somewhat entertained by it or else this wouldn't have started a discussion) then why bother responding.

Yes she's only human, and we all make mistakes... I still have every right to point and laugh. I laugh at myself when I make stupid mistakes. Lighten up a bit.

She actually laughed at herself, this morning, on The Today show, when she was interviewed by Matt Lauer and Ann Curry.

Matt Lauer, himself, admitted to making mistakes on the air, that caused people to laugh at him, and mock him.

This thread is essentially all about pointing and laughing at a 17 year old young woman. WTF?

Welcome to the internet

Welcome to life... just because you make a stupid gaff doesn't mean you get a cuddle pass so no one can make fun of you.

Sorry, she knows just as well as the others the kind of pressure she will be under. She messed up and made a fool of herself. Yeah she can laugh it off and move on but it doesn't make her immune to ridicule simply because there is a segment of our society that thinks the only solution is hugs and kind words.

Dave: I laugh at myself, too, when I make silly mistakes.

No cuddle passes from me.

I vow to use "cuddle pass" 3 times in conversation today.

@RightOn

you really are a moron! what the hell gives you the right to publicly ridicule anyone? just because it's on TV you get to humiliate someone by saying they are an "embarrassment to the human race".

grow up.

"it doesn't make her immune to ridicule simply because there is a segment of our society that thinks the only solution is hugs and kind words."

So your making a stand for society, don't make me laugh, which you won't because you haven't the intellect.

cdnBlogFan: To those who are so quick to criticize, when was the last time you were asked a question in front of ~50 peers, a live audience and rolling TV cameras?

About 2 1/2 years ago, and various times before then. (Most prominent spot was during the 2000 election -- interviewed in a short "politics in college" segment by Faux News.) Do I pass?

I agree, people screw up in front of cameras and audiences all the time. It happens. It's happened to me. However, this is... beyond screwup. This is a complete lack of comprehension of the question. It's not a matter of bumbling a talk. The "uh's" and "um's" don't bother me. What is disturbing is the apparent misunderstanding of the question and the subsequent... whatever the hell that was. Attempt at an answer, I guess? A BAD attempt at an answer?

(Remember: We judge ourselves by our intentions. We judge others by their actions. The key to compassion is to reverse the judgment criteria.)

Sorry, but this deserved to be made fun of. It just so happens that this faux pas was amplified by the megaphone that is the Internet, which means that by next week no one will remember. Except her.

@Rich, from your link: "Don't laugh too hard at poor Miss Upton until you've successfully answered a few geography quiz questions under TV lights, that's what I'm saying."

So... I have a right to laugh then, gotcha. (Been there, done that. Never in a beauty pageant, though. I'm sure if the positions were reversed I would've screwed up the walking on high heels part pretty badly.)

Actually, though, I agree with the article. Again, everyone screws up. EVERYONE. ("Is our children learning?" Do you "work hard to put food on your family"? And do you spell it "Potato" or "Potatoe"?) This doesn't say anything about the intelligence of the young lady in question, so before people keep on laughing, they should put themselves in her shoes. Unless they've been there/done that, they have NO idea what it takes.

However, if you put yourself up in a public forum you better be able to take what comes at you when you DO screw up. It's called developing a "thick skin". If she can't develop that then she shouldn't be speaking in public in the first place. When you raise your head above the crowd, get ready for the tomatoes that will inevitably come your way.

She screwed up, she'll get made fun of, and hopefully she'll get over it. She shouldn't care about everyone else's opinion, only those opinions coming from people who matter. Everything else is just noise. Very, very loud noise.

Article19... apparently you have your undies in a tight spot because I have the right to my opinions.

I have the right to say what I want, just as much as you do. Just because my opinion doesn't fall lockstep with your huggy bunch pile of liberal garbage doesn't mean I'm any more/less intelligent than you are.

What the hell gives me the right? How about the fact that I was born with a mouth, a brain and an opinion. She didn't just mess up an answer she TOTALLY lacked comprehension.

Welcome to life, people don't play nice just because you want them to. If you get up in front of thousands of people to have random questions fired at you, you had better be prepared. She wasn't. End of story.

@Righton:

How about the fact that I was born with a mouth, a brain and an opinion.

You know, most people are born with mouths and brains, but they usually don't start developing opinions until a few days after coming out of the womb. The fact that you already had one at birth is nothing short of amazing. Still, I can't say I'm at all surprised.

@hthth

A 5th of Americans can't locate the US on a World map?!! Forget posting videos of the meat-in-a-dress there and start posting maps!

The problem is that even if you gave those maps out, that bottom 20% would have no interest in looking at them. My mom used to work for the phone company, and it happened more than once that she spoke to someone who didn't know what their state was, only the name of their county. I'd blame the school system but the fact is that a good portion of those people never went to school. Of those that did, knowing what P Diddy had for lunch was much more important than knowing who the current Chinese premier is, what "the Iraq" has to do with anything, why they should be concerned about government overreaching its authority, or where the US -- or North America, for that matter -- is on a map.

Gnorb... you're such a smartass (good kind though!) ;)

Somehow I half expected you to pull a jab on Bush somewhere in this thread... thanks for that.

In fact, I merely asked a question regarding the "coaching" and "training" you cited. While I may disagree with president Bush's politics, my point is that it is rather easy to find examples of well educated and experienced people who become befuddled answering questions publicly. As it stands, it sounds as though you are holding a 17 year old child to a higher level than your president.

I will say that the current President IS a poor public speaker and that fact leads to the assumption that he's missing a few bolts.

It seems that there are quite a few people here who are willing to make an "assumption that [she's] missing a few bolts," as well.

I guess no one told her that it [special effects] requires a computer and brains.

I agree that she stuck her foot in it and her answer was utter nonsense. But what makes you feel that she, personally, "embarrasses the human race" or "would have a hard time thinking herself out of a wet paper bag?" Likewise, you write that she makes you "SAD [sic] to be an American?" These are incredibly harsh criticisms to make of a child. Feel free to have a chuckle, but you crossed the line with the personal insults IMHO.

Welcome to life... just because you make a stupid gaff doesn't mean you get a cuddle pass so no one can make fun of you.

After reading the OP and the above comment, I think I quite understand your reasons for posting it. I know that there are many folks who find amusement in others humiliation and suffering. However, when someone calls you out, please don't pretend that you are making a noble statement about the American education system or the role of narcissistic pageants in modern society; just nod your head, point and laugh with the others.

Bah,
Mary