How come one contest is not equal to the other?

I understand completely. It is a question I’ve not been able to answer. It seems that balance may need to have a ‘handicap’. Perhaps because blacks are a minority, they have special dispensation. It’s all I can come up with.

I’m pretty sure you know damn well that this question is racially fueled. All of your fucking questions are.

Miss Black America is for those who are black. It is the purpose of the contest.
Miss America allows all minorities.

This is not rocket science. Nor is it any sort of discrimination or inequality. Both are different contests.

I am an artist. I do not enter a contest if it calls for landscapes if I paint still-life. It is really just that simple.

I thought that @john65pennington was asking a legitimate question…not racially motivated.

I do not agree with those contests, so it’s something I don’t often think about…only when it comes up.

While I’m not a racist, I do wonder what would happen if it was reversed. That should insult no one.

Why are there no Californians in the Miss Pennsylvania Contest?

Hoping that civil discourse might encourage you to see things from angles you haven’t considered yet, I will try to answer the question.

Although I wish there weren’t separate contests (I wish there weren’t any kind of “Miss Whatever” contests – but that’s a different conversation…) for people, things such as “Miss Black America” and BET happened simply because they finally could. It’s no secret how badly black people were treated in this country for a very long time, how many rights they were denied, how many things they were not able to do. It makes sense to partake in activities that they previously couldn’t.

That said, “Miss Black America” and the TV channel “BET” are no different than “Lifetime” – the channel “for women”, or “Spike TV” – the channel “for men”. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have these labels, these separators. But in a society where everything is labeled and separated? Where people are made to feel distinctly different from each other? It only makes sense that these shows and channels emerge.

Obviously, @boots, some jellies do “give a fuck” about this topic, and frankly, I find your shouting comment inappropriate. @john65pennington asks a legitimate, non-racist question which deserves as much respect as any question you might ask. Furthermore, it has produced some thoughtful comments (I totally agree with @DrasticDreamer).

@Austinlad I was referring to beauty pageants (spelling?) in general.

@Dog

I nearly always agree with your points of view…and, I agree with your comment in general here. The point that I believe @john65pennington was trying to make, is that if there was an ‘all white anything’ (not just a pageant) the ‘anything’ would be attacked by everybody and his goat, crying “Racism’.

Yet, other nationalities are encouraged and endorsed to have their separate ‘whatever it may be’.

When I was very young, I grew up on the south side of Chicago. Every few blocks, there was another ethnic group of people. It was wonderful to visit each other and celebrate the differences and enjoy each other. I was very young, but that’s what it felt like to me and the people I was living with.

Why do we need to constantly draw boundaries.
They obscure the view of an otherwise
beautiful picture.

@MissA I see what you mean and if it was something other than a contest I would be in complete agreement. I believe that in private contests such boundaries should be allowed.

Let me put it this way:

If we were to claim that Miss Black America is “not equal” because it is only for those women who have dark skin we would then have to realize that both Miss Black America and Miss America pageants are unequal because both contests exclude men.

If a person feels it is unequal or somehow wrong they can always start their own contest. In fact some have:

Miss Teen America
Ms Senior America
Mr. America
Miss Asian America
Miss Latina America
Mrs. America
Miss Gay America
Mr. Gay USA

All of the above are meant to highlight one sector of humanity. I believe that these are healthy boundaries that allow an under-represented group to participate and compete. I applaud the right to do so and for any other select group to start their own contest if they so desire.

@Dog I think the main point of it is, what if there was a pageant that was actually Miss White (or Caucasian) America. If such a pageant was in place, there would be a lot of outcry about it being racist, even though there is a Miss Black America and a Miss Latina America pageant.

@Seaofclouds

Thank you. I think that you made the
point that I for some reason, couldn’t!!!

@Seaofclouds @MissA That is in interesting point. I can see where you are coming from on how that might play out.

@Dog

That deserves a pet behind the ears!