The things we're taught

[RoadRaven]

I can't speak for every culture, but generally mankind does a terrific job of placing more value on beauty than brains or skills. Otherwise, why are models paid more than teachers?

LOL... Because their "sponsors" (ie big corporates) have more money than teacher's "sponsors" (ie governments who prioritise arms and art over chidlren and health).
But thats a-whole-nother thread...

[Geonz]

Vanilla fragrance? Cinnamon is supposed to be the smell that inspires the most pheremone secretion.

By having a face and a voice, *two* girls got to be chosen. (However, I am pretty sure in that I'm imposing my culture's value of individuality on the situation, even.)

From the very, very get go... the Olympics is based on setting a very high value on being the very, very, very best at certain rather arbitrarily chosen activities, and "sacrifices" made to edge out the next guy are assumed to be valued instead of questioned.

Not to say I haven't watched sometimes and been thrilled, but to expect a balanced, healthy perspective from any aspect of it seems foolish. It's about competing and being Above That Other Person at That Specific Task - which is a different pursuit from being the best you can be (best being a very subjective concept) )

[SadieKate]

Teaching a child who is the better singer that she isn't pretty enough to be seen is going to give her confidence and prepare her for competition? It just teaches her to give up. The "pretty" girl can take more lessons and practice more and, maybe, improve. The other? If she lived here, she'd be on yo-yos diets and undergoing plastic surgery for the rest of her life - and still have image and confidence problems.

I didn't start this thread as a commentary on the Olympics or China. I was expressing sadness about the value placed on beauty above skills. The example just happened to be demonstrated at the Olympics which just happened to be located in China.

[berkeley]

Anyone seen the Wal-Mart commercial, where the mom essentially states that buying her daughter trendy clothes gives her the "confidence she needs" to make friends?

Um, ok. That one really irritates me!

[Zen]

Vanilla fragrance? Cinnamon is supposed to be the smell that inspires the most pheremone secretion.

I thought it was lavender.
Vanilla does smell like cookies, though. Everybody likes cookies.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I thought it was lavender.
Vanilla does smell like cookies, though. Everybody likes cookies.

A very large scientific smell survey conducted by National Geographic years ago found that the single most sexually stimulating smell for MEN was....cinnamon buns.
I forget the one for women, it wasn't as amusing.