Society Really Has Gone Mad (from Conservatives4Palin)

Governor Palin Applauds 'American Idol' For Their Highest Standards

By Sheya

Governor Palin’s book America by Heart is set to be released this coming Tuesday. As with every book, advanced copies are released to the press for reviewing purposes only. Those advanced copies usually come with conditions attached which include not disclosing any part of the book until a certain agreed date.

It appears that some in the media have lost all of their integrity and no longer have any respect for the law and have decided to release parts of the book to no others than to sites trashing Governor Palin.

So out of a 304 page book, those Palin haters have opted to nitpick the one thing they “thought” might embarrass the Governor and, what do you know, the entire media followed suit.

The following paragraph, taken way out of context, is now being circulated and in some twisted way used to argue that Governor is a hypocrite for Bristol's appearance on Dancing with the Stars:

"Did you ever wonder where the producers of American Idol come up with the seemingly endless supply of people who can't sing but are deluded enough to get up in front of a national television audience and screech out a song anyway?"

Now, I haven’t read the book, all I have read is what has been leaked.

For starters, Governor Palin has publicly stated that she wasn’t so enthusiastic about Bristol going on the show in the beginning. The Governor warned Bristol of the criticism that would come, but when Bristol pointed out she would be criticized no matter what she does so she might as well dance, the Governor went along and has supported Bristol all the way.

For those who don't have any common sense at all, as apparently the LSM doesn't, there is a huge difference between Dancing with the Stars and American Idol. In Dancing with the Stars the producers seek out famous people who can’t dance, they contact them and invite them to join. On American Idol it’s the contestants who apply to join the competition.

The whole concept of Dancing with the Stars is to bring in amateur dancers and famous people who have never danced before; they are trained by professional dancers to compete against each other and the competition is all about advancement and who has more stamina. Neither Bristol nor any other of the contestants has claimed to be great dancers and if you watch their weekly interviews they are very consistent about that always happy they just made it through the week.

Not so with American Idol.

American Idol is a talent competition to find people who already have talent and would usually be unable to make it on the big stage. Contestants who believe they have the talent contact the show and they audition, giving those talented voices an opportunity they would otherwise be unable to obtain.

For years the LSM has been going after the Governor questioning what she reads. It's about time we throw the question straight back at them. Hey, Lamestream media, what do YOU read? You obviously can't read more than one sentence of an entire book. I did. Let’s take a deeper look at the entire context of what the Governors point is, something those in the media won't tell you - or can't read - because it goes against everything they have been pushing. The Governor continues:

Many of the contestants’ ability (or, More accurately, inability) to carry a tune reminds me uncomfortably of me. But they get up and sing anyway and are unaccepting and horrified when the judges’ critiques begin. Chalk some of them up as victims of the cult of self-esteem. No one they’ve encountered in their lives – from their parents to their teachers to their president – wanted them to feel bad by hearing the truth. So they grew up convinced they could become big pop stars like Michael Jackson.

On American Idol, of course, these self-esteem-enhanced but talent-deprived performers eventually learn the truth. After they’ve embarrassed themselves for the benefit of the producers, they are told in no uncertain terms that they, in fact, can’t sing, regardless of what they’ve been told by others. But in the wilder world, these kinds of instances of hard-truth-telling are increasingly rare. Instead of eventually confronting the limits of their inflated egos when it comes to paying the rent and putting food on the table, Americans are increasingly being told not to worry about it. Someone else will provide for them. I think a large part of the appeal of American Idol is the spectacle of Simon Cowell pouring cold water over the heads of these young people. Cowell can be a little harsh at times, but he upholds the highest standards, and something in us recognizes and responds to that.

Unfortunately, Cowell is almost alone in his willingness to tell hard truths. Instead, a growing chorus of voices is trying to convince our kids that hard work isn’t necessary anymore, that they’re entitled to a lengthening list of benefits paid for by others, and that they don’t have to accept the consequences of their actions when those consequences are bad. These voices seem to think that the purpose of government – the purpose of America – isn’t to promise equal opportunity but to produce equal outcomes. If we all just magically had the same number of material possessions, we’d all be happy. And their preferred way to bring about magical situation is by redistributing income. During the campaign, Obama called it “spreading the wealth.” Whatever the term, it means government taking from some and giving to others.

I’ll let the Governors words speak for themselves. Governor Palin doesn't attack American Idol, on the contrary, she applauds them for their courage and honesty. The Governor's point is that in today's politically correct world, we are so afraid to confront our kids with the hard truth that in the long run it only ends up hurting them. God forbid they may actually learn something.
Governor Palin is using something that ordinary Americans can understand, American Idol, to illustrate a larger policy point. It's really nothing short of brilliant.

As for Bristol and Dancing with the Stars, Bristol didn't go onto the show self-deluded thinking that she was the greatest dancer in the world, on the contrary. She's worked hard to get to where she is, and no one can argue that Bristol Palin doesn’t accept the consequences of her actions. The reason some won’t accept that is because for Bristol the consequences turned out to be a beautiful boy named Tripp.

In closing, here's an email I received a while back; it pretty much sums up the point the Governor is making:

SCHOOL - 1957 vs. 2010

Scenario:

Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2010 - Police called, arrests Johnny and Mark.. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it. Both children go to anger management programs for 3 months. School board hold meeting to implement bullying prevention programs.

Scenario:

Robbie won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Robbie sent to office and given 6 of the best by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2010 - Robbie given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. Robbie's parents get fortnightly disability payments and School gets extra funding from state because Robbie has a disability.

Scenario:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbour’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2010 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison.

Scenario:
Mark has a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark gets glass of water from Principal to take aspirin with.
2010 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario :
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from July 4, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a bull ant nest.
1957 - Ants die.
2010 - State Police, Star Force, Federal Police & Anti-terrorism Squad called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, Feds investigate parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated. Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario :
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary . Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2010 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.