Getting real about the Miss UNCP Pageant

By Joe McDaniel Jr.
Staff Writer

Everybody wants to make a big deal about the ordeal surrounding the current Miss UNCP. But, let’s get real; things happen! “He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone,” says the Bible.

Listen; in the real world some of the most elite and prestigious members of our community have major skeletons in their closets. Can we say that our former U.S. president has been no good for this country simply because he had skeletons in his closet?

Moreover, 99 percent of all our skeletons are never revealed.

So then, why should we be forced to embrace a philosophy that holds that one should be de-throned, solely because something realistic gets out of hand in our everyday lives. Maybe we need to take a look at our policies on the pageant.

Are we to believe that people should be perfect, while penalizing them for every mistake? This cannot be a realistic approach.

Do we want someone who is flawless to represent our university?

Do we want someone who has never had a brush with the law to represent our university?

Do we want to require of someone to have an incredible talent or special gift just to represent us?

Why should we even want someone who is beautiful?

Hey, why should Miss UNCP be a Miss? Why not a Mr. UNCP?

GPA shouldn’t matter either.

Hey, what’s a couple of legal violations? We all have them, don’t we?

Perhaps you get the picture folks. At some point, there needs to be a guideline. Should anything really go?

In my opinion, there comes a time to engage a general standard people.

The question is whether those standards are morally and realistically appropriate for the times that we live in.

Ask yourself. Are the standards really too high?

Perhaps it’s better not to have a standard at all, especially when the standards seem to be disregarded in the middle of the game.

I don’t know, you tell me.