Update on Lauren Upton (SC's Miss Teen USA candidate)

Lauren Upton's the girl I posted about yesterday on the blog, and is now pretty well-known by many for doing such a horrendous job on answering a question at the Miss Teen USA pageant. Again, in her defense, it was a dumb question, but that still doesn't explain the nonsensical gibberish she gave.

Anyway, she was on the Today Show yesterday, in which she gave the "answer" again, and was gently coaxed by Ann Curry and Matt Lauer. Try watching it, I couldn't sit through the whole thing.



I'm kind of disgusted how Curry and Lauer are making excuses for this girl. Don't get me wrong, I do kind of feel bad for her, but her "answer" isn't something that you can explain away by saying she was just "nervous." Yeah, most of us have had to publicly speak during our lifetimes, I've had to do it many times, and it's nerve-racking, and sometimes you flub, or say something you didn't intend to say. But this is just total ignorance. She regurgitated things she was taught to say, although it had zero to do with what was asked. She couldn't just think of a sensible answer. I think that's more the fault of the educational system than Ms. Upton's ignorance or lack of knowledge. But consoling her and telling her it's okay, and attributing it to nervousness is just the wrong approach.

Also, letting her re-answer the question? Ugh. One of the key themes that life is about, and what people her age should be taught, is that you don't get second chances. What you initially do in any endeavor, especially something like speaking to a large group of people (not to speak of the many who found this on Youtube, like me), stays with you. You aren't given a chance to do it right, unless you're an attractive Miss Teen USA candidate.