Beauty Fades. Dumb is Forever.

The title of this post is a classic Judge Judy quote which, is really only half true. Dumb doesn't have to be forever. All over YouTube a debate is raging about Miss South Carolina's incoherent answer to a question at this years Miss Teen USA pageant. She was asked to give her opinion on why it is that recent polls show that one fifth of Americans can't find the USA on a map?

She started out by saying that many US Americans (as opposed to non US Americans?) don't have maps... and it all went down hill from there with a monologue that, at best, could be described as words that might have been a useful answer if they were arranged into their proper order. Watch the video below for the full story and Miss South Carolina's attempt to redeem herself two days later on the Today Show.

Now, I can accept that she was probably very nervous and we've all been in a situation where we can hear ourselves talking but have no idea if we're still making sense. Her answer on the Today Show is certainly an improvement and may well have got her first place instead of third runner up (what did fourth and fifth place getters say to be beaten by her answer?).

Perhaps I should stop rambling like Miss South Carolina and get to my point. What this represents is a poster child for better education of young people. It's all very well to think looks will get you a long way but looks and brains will get you even further. In today's society people seem genuinely surprised when good looking people have brains too. Something that should be a given not a surprise.

Many young people seem to think that school is a waste of time because they are almost forced to learn about things that don't interest them. These young people have missed the point of school.

School is not just about learning stuff. It is also about learning how to learn. Learning how to teach yourself stuff that you have little to no interest in whatsoever. In life you will need to teach yourself all manner of things that you have no interest in but are necessary to live in todays society.

Nobody likes reading contracts (well most people don't anyway) yet in life you'll need to read and understand all manner of contracts. Tax laws and Tax Returns - mind numbingly boring but you'll need to know. Employer/Employee agreements... Superannuation, life insurance the list goes on. Are you smart enough to teach yourself these things or will you forever be looking for someone to explain it to you... like you were a four year old?

Looks maybe valued highly in the modern world but education is still much more valuable. For every good looking, brainless celebrity out there, there is a very smart agent earning a killing off their clients stupidity.

No matter how old you are you should never stop learning. Beauty may fade but dumb doesn't have to be forever.

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