You watched the performance. Here it is again in case you’ve been trapped under something heavy for the past two weeks or you need a refresher. (The embed option has been “disabled by request.” Meh.)
So here’s my question. What if Susan Boyle had walked out on to that stage, did her little jig of the hips from side to side, opened her mouth to sing “I Dreamed a Dream” and something else entirely different burst forth? What if a totally tuneless, pitchless, warbling came out?
We’d know about her for a different reason. “Look at who this woman thinks she is!!!” “What a disaster!” The Susan Boyle Effect could also be dubbed the Reverse Oscar Effect. You know the Oscar Effect – the most beautiful actor becomes the most hideous character and Bob’s your uncle! They get an Oscar nomination if not the award. I think the opposite holds true in waking real life. The more frumpy, homely you are, the more you stray from the norm of appearance and behavior, the more outstanding your talent must be in order to be celebrated.
That makes me sad. Sure, I’m happy, delighted, ecstatic for Susan Boyle. But she’s just the one who was able to knock it out of the park and stick it to all those who’ve rolled their eyes at her through a lifetime.
I’m not quite sure what my point is here but I think it’s along the line of acceptance. We’re still far and away from it as a crowd and a culture. There’s a proving that’s required of us by us and it starts early in life and becomes more and more difficult to succeed at the older we get.
I think I’m rambling here so I’ll end and take the dog out for a walk.
But I’m not done with this!
