Carrie Prejean: Miss Hypocrite 2009 (But Aren’t We All)

hyp-o-crite [hip-uh-krit]

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On April 19, 2009 Perez Hilton posed a question of gay marriage rights to Miss California. Her response:

“I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage.  And you know what? I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”

Now the story is out that Miss “Prop 8″  had some semi-nude or “inappropriate” photos taken of her during her teenage years that are being seriously considered by the Miss USA committee. So what does this say about Christians or anyone of faith?  Here we have a person of faith who tells the world that same-sex marriage is wrong all the while willing to have herself photographed semi-nude and in a way that she would not allow her own daughter to do so. (She doesn’t have any children, I’m just making a point.)  But wait a minute, wouldn’t a woman be considered semi-nude in a bikini?  Before I continue I have to ask another question: I have always believed for as long as I can remember that same sex marriage is wrong.  So why is it that the gay community would be angry at me for something I was essentially born with?

So what’s the connection between same-sex marriage and revealing photos of herself? The connection is that the same Christian theology that states that marriage is limited to an individual  man and an individual woman is the same theology that says that the body is the temple of God in which the Holy Spirit indwells.   How is it that Carrie can support strong family values that engender good family morals and a stable home environment for children on one hand while hiding in the other hand photographs of her that would be considered sexting if she sent them over the phone to her friends?

But as the saying goes, “When you accuse another with a pointed finger don’t forget that there are at least three of your own fingers pointing back at you.” Funny how Perez Hilton mocks Carrie for her conservative beliefs  all the while promoting teenage promiscuity via Calvin Klein ads on his site.  There is no question that Calvin Klein marketers do not have a problem with teenage promiscuity.  Now I don’t think that Perez decided to advertise Klein for that purpose but the fact of the matter is that he is not a strong supporter of true love waits. So here’s my question:

Would it be hypocritical for Perez to judge Carrie’s beliefs and lifestyle because he thought she was judgmental of his beliefs and lifestyle?

But let’s take this a step further.

Is it hypocritical for a President who promised not to hire lobbyists to ultimately hire lobbyists into his Administration?

Is it hypocritical for the Secretary of health and human services who is responsible for protecting the health of Americans all the while supporting the actions of George Tiller who has “been indicted for allegedly performing late-term abortions on underage girls.”

Is it hypocritical for the Obama administration to pass the Freedom of Information Act and release American enhanced interrogation tactics but not release the pictures from the Air Force One Fly Over that was paid for by the American Tax Payer?

Hypocrisy is a strange word when it comes to humanity.  It comes from the Greek word for the mask that an actor would wear on stage.  The actor wears a mask and plays a part and like that actor we too sometimes play a fiction in our own lives that we might not wholly agree with. We voice our beliefs with tenacity and passion but five minutes later acquiesce to its antithesis with just a nudge and an excuse.  The fact of the matter is that we all at one time willingly played the part of a scene we have preached against.  In short, we are all more times than not Mr or Miss Hypocrisy throughout our lives.  However, it is one thing to make bad character choices in the private sector it is quite another to make them in the public sector.

Carrie probably thought differently about those photographs that she took one year later.  Her decision may give millions of girls at the assumption that there is a correlation between provocative photographs and becoming a Miss America pageant contestant.  Have millions of teenagers decided that having an “inappropriate relationship” is not all that bad as long as you don’t have “sex” because President Clinton said so?  Accountability is becoming “a time in my life” attitude. The fact of the matter is that there are decisions that disqualify public figures from future opportunities. Do you think that Tim Githner’s decision to ignore paying his taxes gives him the right to write and enforce a tax code that punishes Americans who purposefully ignore their tax obligations too? Do you think it is right that Obama has a “greater good” political view in which a lie to the American people about cutting the budget is justified when billions of well intended dollars are lost in bailing out businesses?

I think that there are many reasons personal accountability has been lost but more important what has been missing in all of  these cases is the tenacity of character within the individual.  Everything that we do builds upon our foundation.  True success can only occur when you build a foundation that does not have to hide weakeness or cracks from the past. I hope that there will be those coming up the ranks that will learn these lessons.