As a former Michiganian (not "Michigander," which is an atrocity on the language) now living in the Sunshine State, I laughed out loud at this exchange over at Free Republic (in response to the embarrassing disquisition on American map-reading ability by the unfortunate beauty pageant contestant):

Just be glad she wasn’t asked to explain why we Michiganders show our location in the state by pointing to a spot on our hand.

I'm sure glad you're not from Florida.

Of course, it would make it tough for the distaff Floridians to describe the location of their abode. I mean, almost all of us have hands. Also, even for the guys, it only works when we're detumesced. Which, come to think of it, would be the likely state if you were dropping trou to show people where you live.

That's right, Rand. Florida should move with the times. Here are some ideas for a new State motto:

America's family jewel!

The angle of the dangle does not reflect our heat in the least.

Don't dick around with Florida.

Florida - Our feet are big too!

[etc.]

If the beauty contestent was quick she would have answered: "Oh, Americans can find the USA on the map, we just like to play games with pollsters."

I saw this on several news shows last night and this morning. I heard all kinds of excuses about her answer. Flustered by the questions being changed around, crowd made her nervous, lighting was different than in rehearsals, that last was my favorite.

I've noticed my own IQ change with interior lighting changes. If you turn on a 3-way bulb to the highest setting, I can't tie my own shoes.

The one thing I haven't heard was about her answer is this,

"Maybe, she's just not too bright."

After all, this was the Miss TEEN America, not Miss BRAINIAC America. It's not the IQ Bowl. The first "talent" for a pageant is looks. You can't learn looks. Ever seen a Miss America with a 185 IQ, a hump and a club foot? Me either, but Miss SC fulfills the very essence of the modern Miss Teen America.

She's 16, looks 22, and most guys out there would like to use her as their own personal topographic map.

She should win. She obviously needs the scholarships for more schooling, 'cause lets just face it, beauty may be skin deep, but stupid goes right to the bone.

What's good for the Michigoose is good for the Michigander, as we say.

(Oddly, the spellcheck in Firefox [curses be upon it] doesn't think "Michigander" is incorrect!)

Steve :"Maybe, she's just not too bright."

With a 3.5 grade average, she's not an idiot. But here answer sure made her sound like one.

A 3.5 grade average means nothing. I have seen cute girls get good grades in jr. high and high school and it had nothing to do with their scholarship and everything to do with how well they whined. Or batted their eyes.
And just how tough is her school? I have high school graduates come here all the time to apply for a job and believe me, many can't string together a single coherent oral sentence, never mind the written application.

Aleta: "A 3.5 grade average means nothing"

So what are grades for?

I know a lot of 3.5 kids; my kids and some (most actually) of their friends. They're not idiots, and they're not getting their grades via batted eyes. I'm sure it happens, but to dismiss all 3.5 students who happen to be cute girls is a bit harsh.

I would hate for this girl to be my daughter, undergoing the public humiliation she has endured thus far. I prefer to believe her when she says she was nervous etc.

Sad to say, grades really aren't what they used to be. My kids both made the honor roll (over 3.0 GPA) at their middle school in a highly-regarded district, and as proud dad I attended the honor ceremony. There I found out that 80% of the school was on the honor roll. What do grades mean when 80% of the students have over a 3.0 average? It's easy to figure a 3.5 student now being what we used to call a C student in the days before grade inflation.

Cecil, no disrespect intended to your children, and all who really earn their knowledge, but what Chuck says is the reality. And I'm sorry it is. Grades _should_ be a metric but they aren't. When we get an application I pay no attention whatsoever to grades: our metric is "what do you know?" because that's the true measure. Certainly some schools still actually teach and their grades mean something, but it's obvious from not just this poor child but many, many other TV interviews (Jay Walking is cringe-making) that grades or having a degree just do not mean what they meant 40 years ago.

Aleta, I'm glad to hear you don't go by grades. And not just for the reasons you state. I've always believed -- and now that I'm in the position of hiring people it's been confirmed -- that the best students often have a good helping of mediocre grades along with the A+'s because they put just as much effort into coursework as is required to get the piece of paper, but at the same time put lots more effort into personal projects.

You set up and maintained a wifi network in the department for student use? You're hired.

You wrote or made a major contribution to some Open Source software? You're hired.

For whatever it's worth (if I recall correctly) I had about a 2.7 GPA in high school.

I knew a girl who won the local Miss Teen USA pageant. She was the smartest girl in my 8th grade class. But maybe she didn't win the State pageant.

Maybe Miss SC was just hard-pressed to give a polite answer to such a dippy PC question. Like maybe what rose to her lips unbidden was WTF am I, a teenage beauty pageant winner, supposed to do about that, you pretentiously preening moron?

If you're struggling to suppress that while thinking up something blandly concerned to say, I can see the mental gears grinding to a halt.

Aleta "but what Chuck says is the reality. "

Maybe where you and Chuck live, but not in my school district. And I'll guess that there's a better than 50% chance that you live in a somewhat liberal dominated district, I don't.

Cecil, I don't think Aleta is referring to any particular school district. She's simply referring to the people applying for jobs with a high-school degree.

I love the slogan that Michigan's economic development and tourism organization (www.michigan.org) uses to promote the state: "Michigan Gives You The Upper Hand".

That's actually pretty clever...

Cecil, seeing as Tom Tancredo is our congressman, this isn't a particularly liberal district. You do have a point though, in that the schools are little islands of absurdly liberal thought. For example, the kids said that they were told today if anyone attacks them physically, they must "run to a safe place" (broom closet? home to mama?)and that they will be suspended if they dare fight back.

The grading system, as I noted above, has become effectively worthless. It's not just this district, either, the previous district and state we lived in was little better. My wife and I spend a lot of time teaching the kids additional math and history and such at home, and my kids get grounded if they get C's (it seems heartless, but if 80% of the school gets only A's and B's...). I'm thoroughly unimpressed with the public schools. There are some private schools around, but we're neither religious or able to afford tuitions bigger than our house payment. Maybe that poor girl in the video is in the same boat-

Rand, I got that. But saying that ANY job applicant with a 3.5 from ANY school means nothing is painting with a rather wide brush.