Reader's Reaction

A reader reacts to my thread: How Karen Ibasco Turn a Basher into a Supporter. She said: "Just a question, not bashing.

Why did she answer the hashtag? Is she a candidate? Proving something? Why?"

It is nothing but a twist ...  she said it herself - a twist.

A  twist is a literary technique that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome just like what Karen did in Miss Earth 2021. When it happens, it becomes a surprise appetizer, a curveball, or the bombshell of the show where nobody had seen it coming. And when the twist was done properly ...  people will talk about it, and the ploy succeeded.

Pageant twists are schemes made in the course of the program that is not customarily or routinely done in the olden contest. It subverts expectations. They don't follow the much-abused techniques of how the show should progress and this old formula is regarded by many as obsolete and a stale approach because they don't want to digress from the usual fare. They want to stick with the old formula because it worked once and they thought by doing the same it is guaranteed that people will like it. 

Well, not all the time. They don't know that clinging to these senile ideas can be a monotony thus far insulting the intelligence of the viewing public because they don't want to grow and discover new visions leaving no room for improvement.

Going back to the twist, when properly carried out and executed, they genuinely surprise the audience and thereby increase the likeability of the show. In Karen's case ... it showed. There were rave reviews and positive feedback attest that being adventurous and bold in making changes in production can be a welcome treat.

But Miss Earth has revolutionized pageantry. Year in and year out, they always introduced something new. The most popular examples of their initiatives are the no make-up segment of the contest.  And in Q and A instead of asking antiquated questions which oftentimes are copied from other pageants (just like the complaints in Miss Globe when one forumer discovered that the questions were a rehash and pirated from somewhere) Miss Earth utilized the use of hashtags and the candidates expand the word or phrase. There is nothing like the ORIGINAL!

Is Karen a contestant? No, but she was the segment host. Is Karen trying to prove something? I don't think so. She was already the clear winner in 2017, and she has proven herself... it is just that her detractors won't give up bashing her and they didn't give her the benefit of the doubt.  She has proven her mettle in public speaking which is what the organization needs. 

Yes, Miss Colombia is more beautiful, but she doesn't have the speaking ability like Karen. Karen is a complete package - her beauty is nothing to sneeze at ... and the most valuable attribute is ...  she can speak, she can teach and she can impart.

This reminds me of the comment made by a Colombian co-worker who said:  "They can always make Miss Colombia the winner, and maybe invite Karen when there is a need for her to speak on behalf of the organization. 

"Are you nuts", I told her. " We will make her win, and make Karen take the microphone for her? What's the point?" And you want Karen, to be her able assistant, a Yaya, a caretaker in case the winner was indisposed or has butterflies in her tummy because she was scared to speak, let alone face the audience? So why don't we give it to somebody who can!

A Miss Earth winner is an awesome responsibility. Either you have it or you don't!"