This year’s Miss USA pageant featured some very polarising subject matter for our bevy of beautiful lasses to contend with. Like what they thought of evolution. The results were at least only kind of sad.
Some of the girls’ trepidation is probably due to not wanting to wind up like Carrie Prejean did back in 2009. Prejean controversially came out against gay marriage, stating for the panel, “I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offence to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.” So heaven forbid making some kind of gaffe concerning the validity of evolution. Wild theories, am I right?
“Huge science geek” Alyssa Campanella won the pageant, though. And I’m genuinely happy to hear that. [Business Insider, Jezebel, ABC News]
Pat
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 8:46 AMWow, I feel sad for America. That this is even a debatable question is laughable.
However, note the poster of the video…’OnKneesForJesus’…I have a suspicion they may have a particular viewpoint they were trying to get across :)
Tar
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 10:08 AMYou find it laughable that we should debate whether a ‘theory’ is taught as fact in schools?
I find it sad that people accept things without questioning it for themselves – I’m not just talking about evolution here, people seem to accept what is told to them without thinking “maybe I should check this”…
Agreed though, there is an obovious bias in the clip
Des
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 10:48 AMYou don’t know what theory means in a scientific context, do you?
Do you also debate germ theory? How about gravity?
http://www.notjustatheory.com/
borganstein
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 11:20 PMWin and I believe pwned!
Jon
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 11:46 AMI think that at least one of the girls got it right………teach both sides of the story then let the educated student make up their minds in their own time as to what they believe.
Personally I find it astonishing that people would object to having the theory of evolution taught in school. If it is taught as theory then it’s no different to teaching the theory of relativity, for example.
I wonder how many of these ‘head in the sand’ religious types would question their beliefs if they actually sat down and looked at all the evidence supporting evolution, everything from the pentadactile limb, through to Archeopteryx and the fossil record.
The biggest anti-evolution argument I hear from creationists is that inevitable question; “if we came from monkeys then how come there are still monkeys?”, which simply demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the theory. If you have asked yourself this question in the past, I suggest you do some further reading because you have missed a fundamental concept of the theory of evolution.
warcroft
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 12:18 PMLike Richard Dawkins said. . .
Evolution can explain 99% of our world. Religion can explain 0%.
warcroft
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 12:26 PMOh, and the girls claim it shouldnt be taught because its just a theory. Well, religion shouldnt be taught because its just a belief.
A belief is blindly following something with no facts or evidence.
At least a theory is based on scientific exploration and discovery.
Dave Lord
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 1:28 PMIt does not require “Belief” to believe in the theory of evolution.
It takes “Ignorance” to not believe in it.
Jon
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 2:11 PMA very good point.
Evolutionary theory derived from observations of speciation and backed by evidence produced by multi-disciplinary sciences of geology, biology, chemistry, physic and mathematics = crazy! (way too outside the box!)
Creationism whereby the everyone and everything in existence was created exactly as they were meant to be by a single ominipotent super being that has existed for all eternity and will exist forever = a logical and acceptable explanation
What a f*!king world we live in. There’s a reason it’s called blind faith.
IJ
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 2:10 PMWell, I dont know if evolution can explain everything..after all, what did the “Invisible Flying Spaghetti Monster” evolve from?
/snicker
Distractobot
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 3:07 PMThis reminds me of this comic book: http://darryl-cunningham.blogspot.com/2011/06/evolution.html
warcroft
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 9:41 PMBrilliant!