I’m not a fan of beauty pageants. I don’t like the emphasis they place on stereotypical ideals of “beauty.” I don’t like judging the worth of a woman based primarily on her appearance. But what I dislike more than all of that is ignorant, ethnocentric racism. When the new Miss America was crowned Sunday, we saw plenty of that.
A native New Yorker, Nina Davuluri graduated from University of Michigan with a degree in brain behavior and cognitive science and plans to become a doctor. She’s educated and smart, which is more than I can say for the few thousand Twitter users who made #missamericaterrorist a trending topic.
Islamophobia
Davuluri isn’t Muslim. She isn’t Arab. She isn’t even from the Middle East. And if she was, who gives a rip? Contrary to ignorant belief, not all Muslims are violent extremists. In fact, in a 2011 survey of American religious views on violence, Gallup found that 78 percent of Muslims believe violence that kills civilians is never justified, whereas just 38 percent of Protestant Christians and 39 percent of Catholics agreed with the sentiment.
The lack of knowledge and continual stereotyping of a very broad, diverse religious group is a product of post-9/11 fear mongering. Muslims are seen as inherently evil, somehow less civilized than the rest of us. If a Muslim commits an act of violence it’s a product of their religion or “just who they are.” If a white American commits an act of violence … well, they are mentally disturbed, under a lot of pressure, or otherwise “not themselves.” Worst of all, Muslims are seen as being incapable of being American, despite the fact there are 2.75 million of them living among us today according to Pew Research.
The American ignorance of Islam is magnified when a couple thousand Twitter users see “brown skin” and think “evil Muslim.” What’s even worse is the implication that a Muslim woman can’t also be American.
Ethnocentrism
Or, the belief that one’s one ethnic group is superior to others. One of the most-shared images online on the same night Davuluri was crowned, was of Miss Kansas State, a white, blonde-haired, hunting-loving, tattoo-having, armed forces-serving Miss America contestant. The meme featured these aspects of Miss Kansas, concluding in the last image that this is the “Real Miss America.” There isn’t anything wrong with any of those things.
What’s wrong is when we begin defining what a real American looks like when in reality, the American population is full of variety. Almost 30 percent of our country is made up non-white Americans. Even putting ethnicity aside, Americans come from all different walks of life. Different religions, philosophies, backgrounds, schools and regions — all of those things make up people in America and all of those people are American.
Some of the choice tweets of the night:
“I swear I’m not racist but this is America.”
“Miss New York is an Indian… With all do respect, this is America”
“Egypt dancing? This is America. #MissAmerica”
Why yes, this is America. And Davuluri is as much a part of it as anyone else is. The second we start defining what makes an American, American is the second we disenfranchise and invalidate the experiences of millions of people who make this country the wonderful, diverse place it is. American values hinge upon the idea that all humans are created equal and deserving of equal opportunities, including the opportunity to be Miss America. Not just white people.
While it will probably never happen, I still look forward to the day when an Indian American woman can win a beauty pageant and it isn’t a big deal because we have learned to embrace diversity rather than fear it. And yes, this is obviously a minority of people who are this blatantly racist and ignorant, but it still speaks to our country as a whole when we as a community somehow fail to educate the people around us. Because at its root, racism stems from fear. Fear of the unknown, the fear of what is different. The only way to combat that fear is through education. Making the unknown known, the different relatable and helping people to understand that diversity of humanity is one of the most beautiful things our country has to offer.
Kaitlin Moroney can be reached at [email protected]