I wrote a column titled “Why feminists should participate in the Miss America Pageant” last week. But, unlike in past years, feminism was not the hot-button issue after Nina Davuluri was crowned on Sept. 15. Instead, the Syracuse, N.Y. native was called out on Twitter for her one major flaw: She’s not white.
“How the f— does a foreigner win Miss America? She is Arab! #idiots” tweeted @jakeamick5, implying that the judges were simply ignorant of Davuluri’s descent. But @jakeamick5 is, in fact, the ignorant one—Davuluri is not Arab as this tweet claims, nor is she a Muslim or a terrorist, as others have tweeted. She’s Indian. She was born in the United States to Hindu parents.
But what if she were Arab Muslim? So what? Those who remain uninformed about her heritage seem to have a problem with Arab Muslims because of 9/11.
“@ABC2020 nice slap in the face to the people of 9-11 how pathetic #missamerica” tweeted @wnfraser.
If we are going to assume, as @wnfraser seemed to assume, that all Arabs are terrorists because of 9/11, we should also assume that all whites want to launch nationwide bombing campaigns, as Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, did.
These tweets only underscore American ignorance. Somehow we all seem to forget that almost none of us are entirely native to this land. We are all foreigners.
“I swear I’m not racist but this is America” tweeted
@JAyres15 after Davuluri took the crown.
@JAyres15’s argument, such as the aforementioned arguments, is flawed—the fact that this is the United States should only encourage this diversity. We are a melting pot, right?
Well, maybe we’re not. The racism shown after the Miss America Pageant makes American culture seem more consistent with the salad bowl concept. We are mixed but not blended. The components remain distinct rather than assimilated. People of various cultures may neighbor one another in this country, but we have not combined into one homogenous culture, as the melting pot concept assumes. Maintaining cultural traditions is important, but it is also important that we do not let our own beliefs or bias lead to stereotyping.
Our stereotypes, which used to mostly stay in our brains, have become more public. This is due in part to the ubiquity of social media websites.
The fact that all of these racist statements were posted on Twitter raises another question: Is Twitter the angriest site on the Internet? Todd Leopold posed this question in an article for CNN.
CNN and BuzzFeed published screenshots of these offensive tweets on their websites, giving the racist tweeters national attention. Many of the victims changed their Twitter handles, making their accounts private or even apologizing.
“I am so sorry. I didn’t think before I tweeted what I did. I absolutely did not mean to hurt or offend anyone. Again I am SO very sorry!!!” tweeted @JAyres15.
David Reiss, a San Diego-based psychiatrist, said the impulsiveness of Twitter can get the best of people, as
@JAyres15 claimed it did.
“It’s very easy to jot something off and hit send, and you can impulsively say something without thinking it through … And if there is feedback or push back, you don’t necessarily even see it,” Reiss said.
Leopold added that Twitter leads people to post illogical and controversial statements because of “anonymity, a perceived lack of consequences and a troll-ish desire to stir the pot.”
Twitter perpetuates impulsive racism more than Facebook because it makes people less accountable for their actions according to Tammy Vigil, a professor at Boston University’s School of Communication.
“Most people’s Facebook accounts have multiple pictures of them, they’ve got connections to ‘these are my friends.’ There is a lot less of the anonymity, so there’s a little less of the disinhibition that occurs,” Vigil said.
Thirty years ago, Vanessa Williams became the first black Miss America. Last week, Davuluri became the first Indian-American Miss America. We may not have become a more racist nation since then, but the belligerent thoughts that were mostly well-hidden at the time of Williams’ crowning are now public, making Americans appear regressive.
