So the new Miss America 2009 was crowned over the weekend.

Does anyone watch the show anymore?

I haven't since Burt Parks stopped hosting (was that back in the 30s?)

In a brand new century in a world concentrating on war, debt and environmental issues, it seems that a beauty contest is a bit out of place.

In the 40s and 50s, being a cute face, great cook, and hoping for world peace was a big part of being a woman.  I think we've come a long way since then. Not only does the idea of a beauty contest seem a bit ridiculous and a bit demeaning, but all of the contestants seem to look alike.

Is it me, or is today's standard of "beauty" really boring? All of the models and television personalities seem to all merge together to me. I can't seem to tell one famous face from another anymore.

In the old days, the beauties stood out - Marilyn Monroe, Eva Gardner and then later the likes of Farrah Fawcett.  You look at the lineup of today's "beauty", it's a sea of sameness.

Now, don't think I'm bitter or some sort of uber-feminist; I'm certainly not. I just think that it's yet another symptom of what's going on in this country: The inability to create anything original.

We've become a nation of consumers and observers, rather than a nation of builders and creators, and this is just more proof.