The T-Word

Perhaps to most, this isn’t earth-shaking news, but it does testify to the fact that sometimes the little guy can eke out a win over the big boys.
Seems like down in San Antonio, Domonique Ramirez, the winner of the Miss Bexar Beauty competition had her crown stripped for chowing down on too many tacos.
According to Ryan Owens and Jessica Hopper of ABC News, Miss Ramirez was told to lay off the tacos or else she would lose her crown.

Obviously she didn’t, and she did.

She sued and got her crown back.

Sort of a flaky story, but stay with me.

Lay off the tacos! Saying that to a Hispanic is like telling Hermie Swartz he has a nose that looks like a bagel or Joe Nyguen to stop smoking the Lotus leaves.

The entire argument between Ramirez and the pageant was a typical ‘she said,’ ‘he said’.

She claims she was ousted because of her weight in her bikini pictures. Said Ramirez, “She (the president of the organization) told me I need to drop thirteen pounds and I needed to lay off the tacos.”

The president of the Miss Bexar County organization testified the bikini pictures were ‘unusable.’

Now, I don’t know what ‘unusable’ means here. I saw the bikini picture. She looked okay to me although she did have a little pooch-out on the outside of her thigh. What I’ve heard called ‘saddleblankets’. I’ve seen better pictures, and I’ve seen worse.

The president added that the committee did not believe Ms. Ramirez would represent San Antonio well. (talk about flaky excuses)

There are many arguments for beauty competitions, and I know their proponents can rattle off a list of benefits. Still, what those contests boil down to is the measure of physical beauty and charm, paying little attention to the inner strengths of some young women.

Now, I know I offended someone there, and yes, I know many beauties have inner strengths. Don’t all beauty competitions have questions involving moral vigor and inner strength? You’ve heard the questions, and all seem to have the same perceptive answer, ‘World Peace.’

But can you honestly tell me that if Joan of Arc was as ugly as me and competed in a beauty contest, she would win—or even place—or even be allowed on the boardwalk?
I doubt it.

I’m sure the Bexar County pageant officials are all nice folks, but they’ve got to be a couple pickles shy in that barrel of political correctness so prevalent in our namby-pamby society for telling a Hispanic to lay off the tacos.

The courts obviously agreed.

Does this mean we can’t say taco? Will it become the T-word to go along with the N-word and S-word. I even heard some dude mention a ‘D-word’, whatever it might be. Surely we have not outlawed the obsequious ‘damn’. If that’s the case, I have several friends who will go mute.

I was teaching a writing class a couple weeks back and our discussion turned to the flap over Mark Twain’s classic novel, ‘Huckleberry Finn’ and its use of words prevalent back in the Nineteenth Century.

Seems some over zealous reformers with nothing better to do want to replace words in books they’ve never read. They’re probably on the Miss Bexar County Beauty Competition Board.

I grew up in another time and culture. Expressions I heard from my birth on were part of my vernacular, a vernacular I have over the years modified to conform to present expectations.

When I first heard it, I was amused at the expression, N-word, for to me it personified the abysmal ignorance and lack of historical significance to those demanding the use of the term.

The only time I hear the word today is among those of the culture it identifies. And when I hear it, the word is always a slur.

Yet, among other groups, Caucasians are often referred to as crackers and honkys.
What I propose is establishing an integration of vernacular among various cultures. If the expression ‘N-word’ is acceptable, then I say let us also accept ‘C-word’ and ‘H-word’ for cracker and honky.

Turn about you know.

Oh, yeah, and let’s don’t forget to put in the ‘T-word’. Can’t leave out our neighbors to the south.