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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1997)
▼ EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Steven Asbury MANAGING EDITOR: Thom Schoenbo m NIGHT EDITOR: Sarah Kickler EDITORIAL EDITORS: Ashley Bach & Brian Diamond editorials, letters, commentary and perspective 9 NEWSROOM: E (541)346-5511 5 DISPLAY ADVERTISING: ■ (541)346-3712 5 BUSINESS OFFICE: ■j (541)346-5512 ' CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: M (541)346-4343 '/fw/f'mwmf-v'smvwv//. Pageants come with high price ■ OUR OPINION: Child beauty contests are potentially dangerous, and it’s up to parents to decide what’s right When 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered in her Boulder, Colorado home on Dec. 26, the media jumped on the story — and for good reason. With a ransom note and the sheer viciousness of the crime, the murder made for compelling journalism. But when reporters discovered Ramsey was also a beauty queen — former Little Royal Miss, Tiny Miss Beauty and Colorado State All-Star Kids Cover Girl, among other titles — they moved quickly to uncover the $5 billion children’s pageant industry’s many problems. Photos of Ramsey and other contestants in very grown-up clothes and make-up graced the covers of national magazines and newspapers. Many readers were outraged at these images, angry at the blending of adult values with youthful enthusiasm. It’s true. Children’s beauty contests, which an estimated 500,000 girls under the age of 12 take part in each year, make up a profitable, strange world. And therefore, they are ripe for criti cism. Furthermore, child pageants are a prime example of a problem that sweeps through all of society. Is outer beauty more impor tant than inner qualities? Televised pageants like the Miss Amer ica contest aside, the measure of a young girl’s beauty is especial ly troubling. Should children barely old enough to walk be involved in such contests? It is easy to say no. Measuring beauty solely on physical appearance is inherently superfi cial. And doing so at such a young age is es pecially dangerous. The photos printed of many of the contestants, including Ramsey, show grade-school stu dents with heavy makeup and poofy hair who look more like ladies of the night than children of the school day. It is important to note, howev er, that Ramsey is an extreme ex ample of a world that is easily la beled as exploitative and hurtful to children. Some pageants exist solely to judge personality and involvement in ac tivities and frown on excessive clothing or makeup. A child gaining a hobby is rarely criticized. But it is where the hobby becomes an obsession that people cry foul. And rightfully so. But many people say beauty pageants are no different than Little League for boys. There is always going to be the parents who go too far in their sup port, the coaches who ask a bit too much of their play ers. In the end, \ every Little League in the country should n’t be abolished because of a few bad ap ples, right? ta The photos printed of many of the contestants show grade school students with heavy makeup and poofy hair who look more like ladies of the night than children of the school day. The paral lel with baseball and pageants is questionable, but it is true every pageant should not be condemned. The important thing is that a line is drawn. And the line should not be drawn by the girls themselves. A common excuse used by many parents is that their children like i being in the contests. But every child likes \ being in the spotlight. Every child likes \ attention. Ultimately, it is the parents \ who must make the decision on the \ child’s behalf. Unfortunately, it is often \ the parents who are involved more \ deeply in the pageants than the chil \ dren themselves. Like anything, perspective must be gained by the adults involved (and to a lesser degree, the chil dren). Beauty pageants can be useful in a child’s development — or destructive — but the po i tential for excess is always i there. While a child’s life is his \ or her own, it is the parents’ re \ sponsibility to steer the child \ in the right direction. Raising \ a child responsibly may or \ may not include beauty \ pageants. But parents \ should be aware of the \ dangers of excess. ■X. \ _ CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. All thumbs To Sens. Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith: The two fresh faced senators, Democrat and Re publican respec tively, solemnly vow they will work together on behalf of Oregon’s inter ests. Before Smith was inducted on Jan. 6, publicity stunts like the men’s wives meet ing for lunch demonstrated the former campaign rivals’ new sense of teamwork. But with the ab sence of veteran legislators Mark Hatfield and Bob Packwood, who brought millions of dollars to the state in a com bined 70 years of congressional ex perience, Oregon’s senatorial clout is now almost non existent. And de spite Wyden and Smith’s claims of solidarity, they disagree on al most every major issue, and that fact is unlikely to change —even if the state’s well-be ing is at stake. To rich adventurers: Steve Fosset’s failed attempt to fly a hot air balloon around the world is yet another ex ample of rich ad venturers embark ing on daring feats to gain fame and glory. We say if these people have nothing better to do with their time than risk their lives for a few weeks of publicity, go right ahead. If nothing else, at least it makes for interest ing reading. To President Clinton: There was a lot of hope and opti mism in President Clinton’s Inaugural Address. The next step he faces is making his words a reality. If he fol lows through on his promises for bipartisan politics and new leader ship for the future, Clinton still has a chance to earn himself a spot in America’s history books. Correction In the Jan. 17 issue of the Emerald, the story on page one entitled, “Residency com plex for UO students,” contained an error. The article stated that nonresidents do not pay Oregon income taxes. Nonresidents gaining income from Oregon sources are re quired to file with the state of Oregon. The Emerald regrets the error. Something on your mind? Earn fame and glory as a guest colum nist for the Emerald. Just submit an opinion column on any topic you care (and know) about and earn a chance to be published on the ODE editorial page. Columns should be well written and no longer than 500 words. Drop off a copy of your column at the Emerald office in EMU Suite 300 or send it by mail to: P.o. Box 315 Eugene, OR 97403
