Open letter to Carrie Prejean
Dear Carrie,
I apologize for not reading your book. I was thinking I would so that I could understand your perspective better, but most of the people on Amazon say the writing is horrible, and besides that it was published before the whole sex tape thing happened.
I find myself feeling kind of sorry for you. Not because you're being persecuted by the big bad liberal media who hate conservative women. Not because I think you were treated unfairly by the officials of Miss California USA-- I'm pretty sure they were well within their rights to strip you of your title, and you shouldn't have sued them. But because you're 22, were raised in an evangelical Christian household and continued on to attend an evangelical university, and you don't seem to know which way is up right now.
I don't think you should apologize for the partially nude photos, or even the sex tape. Stop talking about how making it was the "greatest mistake of [your] life." It wasn't even a bad thing to do-- a matter of bad judgment, yes, but not immoral. People who aspire to public positions probably shouldn't make sex tapes....at least, not if they're going to be upset about those tapes being revealed later for all of the world to see. I understand that you feel that you need to apologize for making these tapes in order to get back in the good judgment of people like Maggie Gallagher and Sarah Palin, but....you know, you can be a conservative without being like them, without kissing up to them.
You've said, in response to criticism, that the Bible doesn't say anything about breast implants. That Jesus wouldn't mind if you made nude photos. I can't say I agree with that because Jesus said that even lusting in your heart is a sin, and breast implants and nude photos-- and surely sex tapes-- are made to inspire precisely that sin. It might be tricky to figure out how to remain a Christian and conclude that Jesus was mistaken about that, but I think in order to be honest with yourself you should either figure out a way, or re-assess your Christianity. But heck, doesn't the Miss USA pageant itself include a swimsuit competition? If that's not made to inspire lust in loads of people, I'm not sure what is.
In regard to the gay marriage thing: yes, I think you're wrong. And yes, I thought your statement on the subject during the Miss USA pageant was pretty dumb. But you know, regardless of what I think of your position on gay marriage, I don't really see what any amount of nude photos or sex tapes has to do with its validity or invalidity. Probably it does for you, because for you it's all part of being a good Christian or not. But I think you would do well to stay off Hannity and Larry King for a while and think about what your Christian ethics really mean. Is gay marriage worse than the way you've been acting? Are sex tapes worse than your rhetoric about how you're being persecuted by the evil liberals for standing up for conservative principles? These are some things you should think about.
In closing, I'll say that I don't view you as another Ann Coulter...yet. Sorry to be patronizing, but I think you're young and very in over your head at the moment. You thought this would be an excellent opportunity to jump-start your career, and didn't realize the hot water it could get you into. I don't know what your future holds, but my suggestion would be to step out of the spotlight for a while, and do some serious soul-searching. It's a golden time for it, and you won't feel so persecuted when you're not out there continuing to dig your own grave.
Very best,
Me
I apologize for not reading your book. I was thinking I would so that I could understand your perspective better, but most of the people on Amazon say the writing is horrible, and besides that it was published before the whole sex tape thing happened.
I find myself feeling kind of sorry for you. Not because you're being persecuted by the big bad liberal media who hate conservative women. Not because I think you were treated unfairly by the officials of Miss California USA-- I'm pretty sure they were well within their rights to strip you of your title, and you shouldn't have sued them. But because you're 22, were raised in an evangelical Christian household and continued on to attend an evangelical university, and you don't seem to know which way is up right now.
I don't think you should apologize for the partially nude photos, or even the sex tape. Stop talking about how making it was the "greatest mistake of [your] life." It wasn't even a bad thing to do-- a matter of bad judgment, yes, but not immoral. People who aspire to public positions probably shouldn't make sex tapes....at least, not if they're going to be upset about those tapes being revealed later for all of the world to see. I understand that you feel that you need to apologize for making these tapes in order to get back in the good judgment of people like Maggie Gallagher and Sarah Palin, but....you know, you can be a conservative without being like them, without kissing up to them.
You've said, in response to criticism, that the Bible doesn't say anything about breast implants. That Jesus wouldn't mind if you made nude photos. I can't say I agree with that because Jesus said that even lusting in your heart is a sin, and breast implants and nude photos-- and surely sex tapes-- are made to inspire precisely that sin. It might be tricky to figure out how to remain a Christian and conclude that Jesus was mistaken about that, but I think in order to be honest with yourself you should either figure out a way, or re-assess your Christianity. But heck, doesn't the Miss USA pageant itself include a swimsuit competition? If that's not made to inspire lust in loads of people, I'm not sure what is.
In regard to the gay marriage thing: yes, I think you're wrong. And yes, I thought your statement on the subject during the Miss USA pageant was pretty dumb. But you know, regardless of what I think of your position on gay marriage, I don't really see what any amount of nude photos or sex tapes has to do with its validity or invalidity. Probably it does for you, because for you it's all part of being a good Christian or not. But I think you would do well to stay off Hannity and Larry King for a while and think about what your Christian ethics really mean. Is gay marriage worse than the way you've been acting? Are sex tapes worse than your rhetoric about how you're being persecuted by the evil liberals for standing up for conservative principles? These are some things you should think about.
In closing, I'll say that I don't view you as another Ann Coulter...yet. Sorry to be patronizing, but I think you're young and very in over your head at the moment. You thought this would be an excellent opportunity to jump-start your career, and didn't realize the hot water it could get you into. I don't know what your future holds, but my suggestion would be to step out of the spotlight for a while, and do some serious soul-searching. It's a golden time for it, and you won't feel so persecuted when you're not out there continuing to dig your own grave.
Very best,
Me