While I have hardly been seeking out news of Carrie Prejean (aka the Miss California who doesn’t support gay marriage), it has been impossible to utterly ignore. For whatever reason there has been a burst of coverage of Prejean the last couple of days, mostly driven (I think) by a press release from the Governor Alaska via her PAC wherein she said:
The liberal onslaught of malicious attacks against Carrie Prejean for expressing her opinion is despicable.
[...]
Our Constitution protects us all - not just those who agree with the far left.
Let’s start with the last sentence: no one has stopped Prejean from speaking, let alone the government (which is the entity constrained by the First Amendment). Indeed, given the amount of press that Prejean has received, her situation is the direct opposition of having her speak squelched.
Having said that, yes, Prejean has come under attack from person on the left. I thing she was roundly criticized by Keith Olbermann, for example and I am sure that any number of unkind things have been written in the Blogosphere.
What I find interesting about all of this is the degree to which that some on on the right have tried to make Prejean into some kind of victim (e.g., Ann Coulter, but she is far from the only one). Considering that a majority of Americans agree with Prejean, I am not sure how she can be treated as a persecuted minority who is being shouted down by the masses.
Beyond that, and this is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak: the reason she was in the Miss USA contest in the first place was to draw attention to herself and to use the pageant as a stepping stone in her career. Using those criteria, persecution is hardly the word I would use to describe what has happened to her. Instead, the phrase that comes to mind is “rousing success.” Heck, can anyone out there even name another Miss USA contestant by name? Have any of them had this kind of media exposure? Prejean has become a minor folk hero in some conservative circles and will likely lead to a serious career boost
To wit: Miss California, Carrie Prejean, Signs With Top Christian Publicity Firm.
and
Miss California on Cable News: Fox & Friends Gives Carrie Prejean Her Chance. Prejean
will be a one-day guest host for Fox News Channel’s popular morning show Fox & Friends, Whispers learns. She will host the 6 a.m.-to-7 a.m. slot on May 27, filling in for Gretchen Carlson—the 1989 Miss America—who will be off that day.
As such it is difficult to take the “Prejean as victim” meme seriously, since along with the negative attention there has been a boatload of positive attention.
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May 15th, 2024 at 11:03 am
Prejean has become a minor folk hero in some conservative circles and will likely lead to a serious career boost
She should get married to Joe the Plumber!
May 15th, 2024 at 3:58 pm
I’d be willing to bet that more people can name her than can name the actual winner of the pageant.
May 15th, 2024 at 4:01 pm
Indeed–in fact, count me in that camp.
May 16th, 2024 at 11:26 am
This has got to be the biggest non-story in the world. Upon being asked about it by a friend, I was like who cares. Chalk this on the pile of crap that contains JTP, Swift Boats, Willie Horton, and much other stuff that is unimportant and I wish would just go away.