Miss Universe totem pole dress shocks Indians

Dear Readers:

I'm sitting here on this fine Wednesday morning trying to figure out who is shocked and outraged the most, Muslims or Indians.

It used to be the Muslims hand down, but lately our Native friends have given them a run for their money with all sorts of stupid demands and conditions on things they consider to be a part of their heritage.

First it was that name thing where calling a team the 'Cleveland Indians' or 'Atlanta Braves,' or 'Washington Redskins,' was no longer cool ...., but now this moral outrage has taken on  whole new level with a bunch of bitching from Natives during the Miss Universe event in Vegas last week.

Perhaps we should give you the whole story:  Last August, Ashley Callingbull, a 25-year-old from Alberta's Enoch Cree Nation, won the Mrs. Universe contest.

Callingbull said she hoped her win would be a blow to stereotypes about aboriginal contestants and encourage other First Nations women to participate in contests.

But this week, Paola Nunuz Valdez, a Torontonian of Dominican descent competing as Canada's contestant at the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas last week, was scorned by many for wearing a dress that depicted a totem pole, similar to those found on Canada's West Coast. 

"Totem Goddess," her Instagram post of the outfit said. "Miss Canada on the Miss Universe stage beautifully embracing her ethnic culture!!!

Photos of the dress — essentially a bikini adorned with plumes of black feathers, a headdress and the totem pole as long as the beauty queen's legs — were quickly met with backlash after being posted online.

"As a Canadian First Nations, I sincerely hope you don't win. Your national costume is disgusting and disgrace to all Indigenous people," said a comment from Susie Caggiano on the contestant's Facebook page, one of dozens of messages decrying the outfit. "This does not help First Nations people in Canada. I have a daughter who is First Nations and also does beauty pageants," Bernice Albert said on the same page.

"When she saw this 'costume,' she was angered."

OH, and just in case ya missed it:  Earlier this year, Miss Universe Canada Chanel Beckenlehner wore a dress featuring 11 hockey sticks, elbow pads and a hat in the shape of the Stanley Cup at one contest.

No one complained about that!!!!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/totem-pole-dress-1.3376366?cmp=rss

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We just got word from :"Gawker" magazine that on December 15, a British Muslim family of 11 was barred by U.S. authorities from boarding a flight from London’s Gatwick to Los Angeles, where they were planning on visiting Disneyland. 

According to the Guardian, the family had been granted online authorization to travel the week before the trip, and was surprised to be pulled out of line at the airport. “I have never been more embarrassed in my life. I work here, I have a business here. But we were alienated,” Mohammad Tariq Mahmood, one of the family members, told the Guardian. He said that the airline told the family their tickets would not be refunded.

“We were devastated,” Mahmood added to ITV. “We’d planned this trip for two months, the kids were excited, and all of a sudden some person just comes and says ‘you’re not allowed to board the plane’, with no explanation.”

The Washington Post notes that it is unclear whether any members of the family were on a no-fly list, or whether all 11 were British citizens. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to the Post’s or the Guardian’s requests for comment.

http://gawker.com/u-s-bars-muslim-family-headed-to-disneyland-from-enter-1749426893?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gawker%2Ffull+%28Gawker%29

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