Pageants are STUPID.

I apologize for my mistake then, but I still hold strong to that fact that they are art. I'm glad you recognize that fact, but it is somewhat puzzling that you said, "but there are different forms of art also". The fact that there are different forms of art does not lessen the value of this specific form. That's like saying, "yes, I understand jazz is music, but there are others forms of music also". So, would it be okay if we just" picked out jazz, and erased it? No, it wouldn't. Now, obviously we're not going to do away with either of these things, but for cognitive purposes, comparison is key. People enjoy pageants. Some don't. And both of these opinions are perfectly okay, but they do not apply to the entire population. If you don't like pageants, stop watching them. It's as simple as that. I have no meaning or intention to come off smart and intimidate my opponent. I will, however, continue to refer to you as my opponent, because that's what you are. This is a debate, and you are my opponent. In all actuality, it doesn't really matter what I call you. I could call you a frog if I wanted to, it doesn't change what you are. I fail to make a connection to "though I am from Oahu that does not mean all of us talk Moke". That neither fits in with the debate nor any personal attacks you assume I'm making against you. I assure you, I am not. Pageants and human trafficking are in no way related. I could define MY idea of human trafficking, but for validity's sake, I'll take the definition of the term from here (http://oag.ca.gov...), a government website. "Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. It involves controlling a person through force, fraud, or coercion to exploit the victim for forced labor, sexual exploitation, or both. Human trafficking strips victims of their freedom and violates our nation"s promise that every person in the United States is guaranteed basic human rights. It is also a crime". Slavery: Pageants are not a form of slavery. Participants participate by choice, and receive compensation for their work. Control: Pageants do not control by force, fraud, or coercion. As a said, it is an activity of choice, and all taking part have every right to leave at any time. Exploitation: Models are not exploited. Someone else is not benefitting unfairly from their labor. They choose to take part, and they reap the benefits of their own work. Freedom/rights: No rights are taken away, at all. Crime: Pageants are entirely legal. "In Human Sales, you look pretty, get priced and win your freedom or at the very least, money. In Pageantry, you look pretty, get judged on and win a trophy or at the very least, money". Correct, except that in human trafficking, you rarely if ever "win" your freedom, at least not without the help of the law, nor do you receive money as a reward. The criminal behind your imprisonment may receive payment, but you do not. I'll state again: human sales is illegal, forced, and basically an equivalent to slavery. Pageants are none of these things. You choose to be in a pageant, you get judged (by judges that also get paid for what they do. Every competition--and pageants are competitions--has a judge, unless the winner is chosen by score, or some other method), and you win or you lose. Then you go home, do what you want, and you can chose to, or not to, join the next pageant that comes up. If you do join the next one, you can drop out any time you please without consequences. "I am a feminist and I do not like it when women are being judged on. Are you a male?". I do not consider myself a feminist, but I also dislike the general idea of judging women" and also men, but sometimes it's necessary, many times it is requested, and ALL the time, it is there. Whether you recognize it or not, you judge women also, as well as men. So do I. So does every reader of this argument. It's within the definition of being human; we are emotional beings, living in a most subjective and opinionated world. The degrees vary, but all of us judge, and if we didn't, we would be robots, living off of logic only; not creativity, not feeling, and certainly not emotion. We would all think the same. It would be a completely different world than the one we live in. Without judgment, there could be no art. On the question of my gender, I refuse to answer that, because first of all, it is not at all relevant to the argument, and second, if any voter or opponent wishes to know the answer, they could open my profile. It's public information, but once again, it doesn't matter.