[Save Us Sutter]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Sure it is...but how often do you or I at age 17 and with a live audience and TV cameras in our face......have to think on our "feet" like she did.

Think on your feet? That implies that answering the question actually involves some sort of thought. She could have still stumbled and rambled but used the words "funding" and "public school" instead of "South Africa" and "the Iraq" and at least it would have made SOME sense.

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Poor kid. Odds are this is what she'll be remembered for. Tough to have that kind of infamy when you're 16.

Not to be picky... but she's 18. At least according to the article Transplant posted.

Originally Posted by LeftWing

So did the judges, apparently she was third runner up!

I absolutely could not believe this. Sympathy vote? Were the other contestant's answers worse than this? Or did she do the swimsuit competition topless?

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Some people have a natural abilty to think on their feet, preparation or not. I wouldn't say they are stupid.

Again this implies she had to think to answer. I realize it's easy to feel bad for this girl... but even freezing and saying NOTHING AT ALL would have been better than what came out of her mouth. How hard is it to say "Perhaps our government should invest more money in public education" or even "Perhaps people should have paid more attention in GRADE ONE!!"

Originally Posted by Burninator

Just out of curiosity what is the simple answer? It seems like a pototential loaded question that is more deserving of a 30 second answer. And I think it's more complicated than, as someone so articulately put it, "people are morons".

I think the answer lies somewhere in between the two answers I gave above. Heck, she could have thrown in "take even 2 billion from the military and put it towards educating the children of our country" and really scored some points.... depending on who the judges were I suppose.

A ten second answer... during a beauty pageant? I think I would have gone with "some Americans don't take their education seriously, which is sad, but I personally would use my position as Miss Teen USA to teach kids to STAY IN SCHOOL!!!!" (Big Smile)

Originally Posted by flip

guaranteed she's in maxim by the end of the year.

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As much as some are mocking her, and some are feeling bad for her, the truth is she is now not only young and good looking, but (in)famous. And in America that's got to be worth at least a couple million bucks.