So I'm listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show on Wednesday when I learn that singer Brandi Norwood was voted off the hit television show Dancing with the Stars. This Brandi is the same singer and actress whose performance wowed the three judges last week, earning her a perfect score of 30. So when Tom Joyner, Sybil Wilkes and Jay Anthony Brown started quipping on their morning radio broadcast about how the voters got it wrong by releasing Brandi and retaining self-proclaimed teen advocate Bristol Palin, I was almost at a loss for words.
Of course, if you're reading this blog entry, and others that I have posted to Facebook and other social network sites, you know that it doesn't take long for me to find the right words to say what I want to say. And, like I alluded to a few days ago, I think Bristol Palin should have been voted off Dancing with the Stars several weeks ago. That being said, it should be quite obvious by now that there are some foul and corrupt dealings going on behind the scenes. I also predict that more conservative-minded producers at ABC are setting Bristol up to be the poster child for sexual abstinence.
Don't get me wrong; I'm all for that. But Bristol Palin wouldn't be my ideal candidate for promoting abstinence. She failed this litmus test when the sexual experiences she shared with her ex-boyfriend Levi Johnston led to the birth of a child. And even though Bristol is in the limelight because of the celebrity of her mother Sarah Palin, I don't think she is the best person to deliver the abstinence message to low-income, minority youths.
Studies have consistently shown that low-income, minority youths are at a greater risk for having children out of wedlock. When females from this group get pregnant and then give birth to their children, you can rest assured that many of them will be placed on the welfare rolls, especially if there are no family members around to offer ongoing support. Moreover, many of the young men who impregnated them will go through life being oblivious to their responsibilities as soul mates and fathers, because no one is encouraging them to be faithful to their partners and be present helps to the children they helped sire.
Because Bristol Palin was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she and her son will never know what it feels like to go without. That is why so many young, African-American girls identify with a Lauren Hill, a Mary J. Blige or a Keisa Cole. All three of these women overcame the odds to become superstars in the entertainment business. In short, they eliminated cycles of poverty that had been long-standing problems for their parents and their parents' parents.
If Bristol Palin wins this competition, I won't lose any sleep. I'm going to wake up from my slumber the day after the announcement, ever-ready to bask under the favor of a transforming God. But I will be saddened by the level of corruption that has made a mockery out of the three judges' decisions. Yes, Bristol did work hard to learn all of those dance moves, but our vote tally should coincide more with what these experts are saying, not with what members of the Republican/Tea Party want. When that doesn't occur, you know that politics has taken over what seemingly was a legitimate process.
What do you think?
I look forward to reading your responses.
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