Susan Boyle, until last week a complete unkown here and everywhere except in her village in Scotland, appeared on a dreadful American Idol-type TV show (replete with Simon Cowell) called Britain’s Got Talent.
The young presenters of the show, the “judges” and, indeed, the audience were smug and condescending with Ms. Boyle until she belted out a rendition of “I dreamed a dream” from Les Miserables which won their respect and attention.
So far, so good. But here’s my beef. Why is it necessary for Ms. Boyle — or anyone else for that matter — to have an extraordinary talent in order to receive her due dignity? There are millions of people like Susan Boyle who are the salt of the earth but who ordinarily get no respect from the proud and the glossy.
I was horrified to read over the weekend that various people are offering Ms. Boyle a “makeover.” In fact, you can already find virtual makeovers of her online. Ms. Boyle doesn’t need to become more like “them.” They need to become more like Susan Boyle.
If, by chance, you haven’t seen her remarkable performance, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmbJzH93NU
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
readergirl 04.21.09 at 1:54 pm
you are so right! everyday people do extraordinary things.
as Tom Bodette said on this week’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t tell Me”- we should be ashamed for being surprised that someone “ugly” could have talent.
Marco Ambrosio 04.30.09 at 3:55 pm
Well said Father Paul. I recently held a Social Media Solutions event and had everyone start with Susan Boyle. I made sure her lyrics were available as well. It is a powerful statement that people can instantly connect with… yet it only scratches the surface.
I am new to this blog, but will be keeping up.
Marco