Miss USA Booed by Mexican Audience. Is Washington to Blame?

Miss USA booed by Mexican audience

Donald Trump Says "I've never seen anything like it"

Why do they hate our Freedom?  Let's take a look

by Mark Ellison

MEXICO CITY – Many south of the border reveled in her disastrous evening: First Miss USA Rachel Smith slipped and fell on her bottom during the Miss Universe evening gown competition. Then she was booed by hundreds in the Mexican audience and the world was watching; over 1 billion.

For this writer, it was a sad moment.  A moment that demonstrates with clarity our poor image in the world's eyes.  Its a clear symbol on how we've gone from the leader of the free world to a military power feared but not respected – pushing everyone and leading no one. 

Admittedly, there is the immigration policy issue at work here.  But this animosity has been brewing for years.  It's not something new and out of the blue.  It's much more than immigration.

As someone who has traveled in Mexico extensively, I can actually report that Mexicans truly love American people.  But they reallly hate our federal politics.  As it stands, I suppose 70% of our citizens agree with them and we are all paying the price. 

And what about Miss USA?  What should have been Miss USA's greatest moment in her life was turned into mud while she tried to smile all the way to humiliation.  I can't imagine how that lovely smile turned into tears backstage.  I can't imagine being her parents.  Just awful.  And who's to blame?  Mexicans?  Washington?  What is going on here folks?  Where's our leadership?  Where's our pride? 

Its clear that the treatment of the Tennessee beauty queen was nothing personal. It seems that it had more to do with Mexico's sometimes tense relationship with its powerful northern neighbor and the Bush Wars and their policies.

This is not new.  In fact, U.S. athletes have sparked a similar response. In 2005, when the U.S. played Mexico during a World Cup soccer qualifier, the crowd booed the U.S. national anthem and a smattering of fans chanted "Osama! Osama!" during the game.  Sad and pathetic that neighbors are at such odds. But why is this so?  Are Mexicans evil people living on some axis of evil?  Terrorists?  Why did Miss USA have to endure this humiliation?  Why do they hate our Freedom? 

Smith was booed repeatedly during her stay in Mexico, including last week, when she carried a guitar and wore an Elvis-style suit during a parade of national costumes held in downtown Mexico City.

She proudly kept her poise during an interview Monday night with pageant judges, despite the boos and chants of "Mexico! Mexico!" that drowned out her answer.

"I am very passionate about education and being in South Africa sparked my interest in that," said Smith, a journalism graduate who volunteered for a month at talk show host Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.

Points for speaking Spanish
Then she paused, smiled and spoke in Spanish. "Buenas noches Mexico. Muchas gracias!" which earned her some applause and some chuckles.

Miss Japan Riyo Mori, who went on to win the crown, opened her interview with "Hola Mexico!" to cheers and claps. Her personal trainer, Ines Ligron, said she had warned Mori about the importance of speaking in Spanish to win over the crowd.

Even an opening "hola" might not have helped Smith, who faced long odds for simply being a gringa.

U.S.-Mexico relations worsened in the past year after the U.S. National Guard was sent to the U.S.-Mexico border to assist the U.S. Border Patrol and help build hundreds of miles of wall to keep out illegal migrants.

Mexicans are also upset over a U.S. Senate proposal for a sweeping immigration reform bill that would limit the consideration of family ties, capping visas for foreign parents of U.S. citizens at 40,000 a year. The plan would change a system that favored family ties for four decades.

Many Mexicans also feel that the United States exerts its influence to tip the balance in its favor, whether in global politics or sports events and the only way for people to act out and make a statement are in forums where symbols of USA can be defaced.  This seems to be a severe reaction to many years of bullyism without justice.  Earned?  UnFair? The perception is the reality for those outside the USA.  We either are bullies or have a really bad PR department. 

Conspiracy theory
On Tuesday, Mexican media lamented the fact that their contestant, Rosa Maria Ojeda, did not make it to the top five in the pageant while Smith did, despite falling down on the runway. Smith's fifth place finish only added to the theory that the United States always is favored.

The Mexican newspaper El Universal said Ojeda's fans were not as upset about her top-10 finish as they were that "the judges did not penalize that fact that Miss USA totally fell on her seat after she stepped on her dress."

The newspaper said that when the show went to a commercial break, an NBC representative warned the audience of 9,000 to behave because "this gives the world a bad image of Mexico."

Donald Trump, who co-owns the pageant, brushed off the ruckus as Mexicans' frustration with Washington politics.  On Larry King Live, Trump said "I have never seen anything like it.  They were booeing loud and constantly. In fact, Ms Smith was crying and I told her they are not booeing you, they are booeing our government's policies".

Smith did not comment publicly after the contest. On Tuesday, she flew back to the United States now knowing what it's like to wear the Red, White and Blue outside the borders of its cocoon.  For this writer, it was sad to watch such a lovely lady treated this way.  Of course, I feel bad for Miss USA Rachel Smith as well…

Grab a vine, swing in, and give me your opinion….