bunnicula
|
posted on October 30, 2001 12:17:54 PM new
I got this in an email today & thought I'd share, although I've left out the photo:
Subject: Fw: Miss America -vs- Miss Afghanistan
>
> On the left is Katie Harmon, Miss America, wearing the swimsuit she chose
> for the competition.
> On the right is a typical Afghan girl, wearing the heavy smothering burqua
> as required by the oppressive Taliban regime.
>
> Miss America is a junior at Portland State University, hoping to
eventually
> get a Master's degree in Bioethics.
> Miss Afghanistan is forbidden from receiving any education at all, and
> cannot read or write.
>
> Miss America has worked as a lab assistant at both the Oregon Health
> Sciences University and the University of Puget Sound.
> Miss Afghanistan is forbidden from working.
>
> Miss America's father is an engineer. Her mother is a teacher.
> Miss Afghanistan's father was shot by a gang of Taliban militants. Her
> mother begs for bread scraps since she cannot work or remarry.
>
> Miss America wowed the judges by singing a Puccini aria, "O Mio Babbino
> Caro".
> Miss Afghanistan is forbidden from singing or even listening to music of
> any kind.
>
> Miss America will be traveling the nation nonstop during her reign.
> Miss Afghanistan cannot leave her house without a male family member,
> cannot drive, and cannot be out after dark.
>
> Miss America is an advocate for breast cancer research.
> Miss Afghanistan cannot be treated by a male doctor, and for all practical
> purposes has no access to medical treatment of any kind.
>
> Miss America can date, marry, or divorce anyone she chooses.
> Miss Afghanistan will be stoned to death if caught in the company of a
male
> outside of her family. She is likely to be sold into an arranged marriage
> to a man who already has two wives.
>
> Miss America wears sunscreen on the beach to keep from burning.
> Miss Afghanistan cannot live in a house with windows unless they are
> painted black. Since she must wear a burqua outside, her pale translucent
> skin has not seen a ray of sunlight in years.
>
> Miss America could have been disqualified if her swimsuit did not meet
> pageant standards.
> Miss Afghanistan can be flogged if the holes in the mesh covering her face
> are too large.
>
> Miss America will decide how many children, if any, she wants to have.
> Miss Afghanistan will be pregnant 3-4 times more often than Miss America.
> Unfortunately, her babies are 25 times more likely to die in the first
> year. One out of four will not see their 5th birthday.
>
> Miss America is majoring in speech communications at PSU.
> Miss Afghanistan is forbidden from speaking in public.
>
> Miss America is 21. Since the U.S. life expectancy for women is 80, she's
> still a very young woman.
> Miss Afghanistan is also 21. But since the life expectancy for an Afghan
> woman is 43, next year she will be "over-the-hill". (Besides having a
> shockingly short life expectancy overall, Afghanistan is one
> of the only countries in the world in which women have a shorter life
> expectancy than men)
>
> Miss America is a beautiful, intelligent woman and everyone knows it.
> Miss Afghanistan could be a beautiful, intelligent woman... but nobody
will
> ever know it.
>
> God Bless Miss America
> God Help Miss Afghanistan
>
>
>
>
>
|
rachelcrisscross
|
posted on October 30, 2001 12:57:35 PM new
It makes me sad...
Angry too...
|
hjw
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:16:50 PM new
I am ashamed to live in a world with this kind of poverty and discrimination. And instead of help, we are droping bombs on it.
Shame on our leaders!
Besides enduring overwhelming poverty and ignorance, the Afghanistani women are discriminated aganist in every way known to man.
If I believed in God, I would now question my beliefs.
Maybe Terri will shed some light on this situation for us.
Any God worth two bits would bless and help Miss Afghanistan.
He might also help Miss America question the practice of flaunting sex and beauty while other women in the world are living in poverty and discrimination.
That pagent is a spectacle that I will not watch.
Helen
ed.to sp.
[ edited by hjw on Oct 30, 2001 02:51 PM ]
|
icantfindmypants
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:19:43 PM new
well humph!
|
jamesoblivion
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:23:59 PM new
Helen, I too empathize with Miss Afghanistan.
Since flaunting sex and beauty is out while women are hurting, in what way do you limit yourself to express your solidarity with poor and discriminated women the world over? Do you limit flaunting your sex and beauty or perhaps eat all the vegetables on your plate? Or leave some uneaten in solidarity with the poor women?
|
hjw
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:24:56 PM new
icantfindmypants
Can you please explain the significance of your response, "well humph!"
Helen
|
nycrocker
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:25:45 PM new
Bunnicula - Very good thread!
hjw - Try not to faint, but I finally agree with you on something. I even agree with about 90% of what you just said. Only difference is, I do believe in a god (or gods), and I don't think the pageant is about flaunting sex and beauty as much as I think it is about perpetuating negative female ( "BIMBO" ) stereotypes. Makes me sick and you could not PAY me to watch that crap.
 Rocker 
edited to take out a smiley where there shouldn't have been one.
[ edited by nycrocker on Oct 30, 2001 01:27 PM ]
|
kraftdinner
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:29:03 PM new
Women all over the world suffer similar supressions, but it's only until we're educated do we really understand the severity. That's why we need to bomb Afghanistan Helen. The Taliban and the el queda (sp.) needs to be wiped out. ONLY then will these women be helped.
|
nycrocker
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:30:59 PM new
Well Kraft you got a good point there too. Gotta agree with ya on that. (Did you get my email by the way? Just makin sure I had your name right.)
Rocker
|
hjw
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:32:34 PM new
James, you have chosen the weakest sentence in my response to question. It just makes me so angry to see such displays of conspicuous consumption compared with the poverty of an Afghanistani woman while our country is in the process of bombing the hell out of their country.
Helen
sp. ed
[ edited by hjw on Oct 30, 2001 02:52 PM ]
|
jamesoblivion
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:35:25 PM new
Well, Helen, did you use air conditioning during the summer? Did you have a nice dinner last night?
I'm being serious. What are you doing besides expressing empathy for the plight of these women? Even a chick in a bikini *can* be empathetic towards these women.
|
corrdogg
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:37:32 PM new
http://www.gotlaughs.com/funpages/talibansingles.cfm
|
kraftdinner
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:38:41 PM new
Waving hi to Rocker!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I got your email (Thank-you!) and my 'sermon' is on the way!! 
Helen, james makes a very good point. It might not have even been directed directly to you but to all Afghani women sypathizers. Makes me think what more I can do...thanks james. 
|
Eventer
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:46:01 PM new
I'm confused.
Miss America is a junior at Portland State University, hoping to eventually get a Master's degree in Bioethics
Miss America is majoring in speech communications at PSU
Can't she make up her mind?
|
hjw
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:47:33 PM new
nycrocker
I'm happy that you agree...and you too Kraftdinner.
James just is focused on those bikinis. LoL
Helen
I wish that I could do something James. The only thing that I know is to campaign against George W.
Helen
|
KatyD
|
posted on October 30, 2001 01:57:47 PM new
Helen, what does Georgie Porgie have to do with the plight of Afghani women?
American policy may be arguably responsible for many things. Enslaving women and treating them as chattel is not one of them.
I am wearing my bikini as I post this.
KatyD
|
hjw
|
posted on October 30, 2001 02:04:24 PM new
KatyD
James will be happy to know that. Send him a picture.
Georgie Porgie has contributed to the problem by bombing the hell out of their country. They are now living on the border if they are lucky, eating grass.
I was not in favor of air strikes to solve this problem and apparently it hasn't been effective so far.
Helen
|
katssimi
|
posted on October 30, 2001 02:06:58 PM new
I post in the nude. I refuse to wear a bikini!!!
|
hjw
|
posted on October 30, 2001 02:14:09 PM new
katssimi
Did you lose your bikini?
Somebody posted a few minutes ago who had lost their pants.
Where is this thread headed...LoL
Helen
|
KatyD
|
posted on October 30, 2001 02:23:35 PM new
Well, I will disagree with you then, Helen. Frankly, I don't think Georgie Porgie has bombed enough hell out of the country. Continuing the "status quo" for the sake of political correctness is going to do a damn thing for those women. And the Taliban doesn't and never did care about the rest of the world's opinion in their treatment of women.
KatyD
|
snowyegret
|
posted on October 30, 2001 02:34:26 PM new
The Taliban are the guys that blew up the Buddhist statues. 
You have the right to an informed opinion
-Harlan Ellison
|
kraftdinner
|
posted on October 30, 2001 02:39:09 PM new
I have to agree with KatyD. We're not bombing Afghanistan because of the way it treats its women. We're bombing because of the relationship between Bin Laden and the Taliban which not only supports terrorizing it's own people, but terrorizing the rest of the world as well. It's time these people were stopped and a democratic government put in its place to help the people get out from under poverty, with the aid from other countries. (Most humanitarian aid is confiscated by the Taliban and used as barter to get people to join. This is how they gain power.) We need to continue bombing key targets that the Taliban hold so their whole structure is weakened. I just don't see any other way Helen.
|
Microbes
|
posted on October 30, 2001 02:42:59 PM new
Can't she make up her mind?
|
hjw
|
posted on October 30, 2001 02:44:40 PM new
Well, we will just have to disagree on this one. We have a reason to be in Afghanistan right now and if we were handling this situation right, by establishing good diplomatic relations with the rest of the world and by using specia forces trained to handle the bin Laden league on the ground in Afghanistan we might have a good effect on the Taliban problem.
But, I'm not a general. LoL...
At least the world has become more aware of the problem and hopefully some progress will be made to improve the lives of these mistreated women. I hope that Georgie Porgie will not abandon the country when the bombing has ended. This is truly a case that illustrates a need for nation building.
This email which illustrates the horrific inequity between the American versus the Afghanistans just blew me away.
Helen
|
Microbes
|
posted on October 30, 2001 02:45:03 PM new
I post in the nude. I refuse to wear a bikini!!!
Have you seen the Roll Call Thread? 
|
