"...protection to the looks-challenged?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/opinion/sunday/ugly-you-may-have-a-case.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=law+professor&st=nyt

I really could not believe this story was real. I figured some news service picked up on an old "joke" of Rush Limbaugh's.

My chin is now bruised from when it dropped and hit my desk when I found the URL.

There are some many things wrong with this story, so many.

The first is, what are we, animals? Have we not 'evolved' past this point? I guess according to scientist's the logical thinking brain is non-existent in the business world.
"Oh wait, this might not be a the best train of thought with the state of business currently." Anyway....

Secondly, beauty is subjective, very dependent on culture. Who's base line are you going to use? In reality most 'ugly' people can do a lot to make themselves appear average, if not delightful. Hollywood has gone both ways. TV shows to make the ugly to average look amazing, and in movies the actress is made to look ugly.

Thirdly, doesn't taking care of how you look hahave a bearing on how you look and are perceived? A confident women that is labeled by the "dudes" of this writer's ilk as average can have men's attention because she knows how to play up her positive and detract from the negative. She is confident, dresses to her body type and can hold an intelligent and enjoyable conversation. Compare that with the model that walks in, won't talk to people or can't hold a conversation, won't smile, is self absorbed and looks totally bored? The model will attract her like kind. You can paint up plain and ugly to amazing. But amazing looks can't be painted to smart.

Fourth, the only kind of beauty if physical?

Fifth, are my tax dollars really paying for this?

Lastly"", ...with the chance of obtaining extra pay and promotions amounting to $230,000...", they would allow themselves to be classified as ugly. NO, that is called GREED and having your self-worth tagged with a dollar amount. Plus, to make this law suit work the 'ugly' person would have to prove they were 'ugly' and someone in the company would have to admit that they are shallow and limited in their views to proceed with the law suit. No one is a winner at this point.

Yes, being good looking helps, to a point! I've watched interviews were the female architects were equally qualified and the physically prettier one was hired. She was no was no beauty to work with, though. I've also heard department heads say that certain engineers were not to go to clients because of how they looked. Funny the attractive ones were sent, messed up the job and cost the company money!
Maybe with those two anecdotes I actually prove the writers thesis and we are base line animals.

The last paragraph is very insightful: "You might reasonably disagree and argue for protecting all deserving groups. Either way, you shouldn’t be surprised to see the United States heading toward this new legal frontier". This is what we've dropped to? Labeling hence limiting people? Have these people not learned anything? People will achieve to the level you set for them.

If the writer himself is physically ugly or not, I find him hideous to be perpetrating this discussion on the wrong pathway.

20 things I would tell my teenage self

If only she would listen:

1. You can not please everyone, make everyone happy nor make everyone like you, DON'T even try.

2. Other people will have their own thoughts and views, you do not have to make these yours.

3. Learn to take care of yourself not only physically but emotionally.

4. You will work at jobs you hate and you will survive. Just make sure there is more to your life then your career.

5. The worst pain you feel right now will go away and even worse pain will come, Sorry that is life. But the good gets better and the pain becomes less .

6. Just because you value something doesn't mean anyone else will. Hold those things you value close.

7. Laugh, most things in life really are funny, at least to other people, or thru the window of time. So laugh now.

8. Enjoy life and dance often!

9. Find beauty everywhere and add to it.

10. Be nice. It's free and it makes you feel good.

11. You'll change and that is fine. What you want at 20 might not be what you want at 30 and when you achieve it at 35 you'll need something new

12. Play up the good and down play the bad - every women is beautiful it's if she knows it and takes care of it.

13. Work as hard on the inside as you do on the outside.

14. Walk! Don't run to the next journey. You don't want to arrive tired and you need to enjoy the scenery to grow as a person

15. Never stop growing, exploring or playing

16. Be able to be alone

17.Don't let anyone take your dignity by losing control of your emotions. You can get angry but not without thought.

18. Your are prettier than you think, but don't let that go to your head. Nothing can make you look uglier quicker than being haughty.

19. Money is only paper. You control it not the other way around. And it will NOT make you happy

20. Confidence makes any outfit - Fabulous

Extra: You're not perfect! but still pretty damn good. Go for it girl You know what's best for you so don't second guess!

Congress Vs. RHWoNY

Did you ever think that those two institutions would ever be compared?

Yesterday, I woke up to the news that American's credit rating had been downgraded from AAA to AA+. What? The budget was passed and the debt ceiling was raised. The reason, from what I heard from MSNBC, the rating was lowered because of the inability of those in the government to get thru this without all of the bickering. Lowering the rating because of those of in power acting like the women we see on the reunion of RHWoNY (Real Housewives of New York).

Sadly, I have to admit to watching, on demand, part two of the reunion. Sadly? Yes, I saw part one and it was like watching 15 year old girls fighting over the cute guy in class, and to think I went back for more. Did I want to see the train wreck? What does it say about me, going back for more? Did I want to see a kind resolution? Actually, I was hoping for a better outcome. Reflecting on the episode, I should have turned it off when my stomach started to churn, about half way thru.

What is so sad, you could simply replace the the women of RHWoNY with those in Congress. Put the Democrates on one side and the Republicans on the other side. The outcome would be the same.

To think these people are held up in our society and they seem to be unable to be civilized. The people in Congress are there to run the country and yet they are unable to even control their behavior. The women are held up for the money they have and the celebrity that they have been able to achieve thru the TV show, but money cant buy you....

Bravo, Andy Cohen I suggest you expand the fanchises to the Real Congressional Members of Washington DC (RCMoWDC). Why dont?

Both groups deny their actions, blame others, and call each other names. Sadly, RCMoWDC effects everyone in this country. RHWoNY effects their reputations and makes it look ok to act like children.

These two groups were and maybe still are held up as the 'elite' of this country. That is the problem. A title shouldn't given to you just because, you should be given the title for what you do (a nod to Thomas Jefferson and his desire for a meritocracy).

What have these two groups actually accomplished? How have they made this a better place to live?

The silver lining New York Times/CBS News poll show 82% of American's disapprove of how Congress is going their job. Sadly, Bravo gets it's highest rates on these reunion shows but thankfully we can laugh, roll our eyes and even turn the channel on the RHWoNYC.

Looking at them as examples we can learn a lot, a lot of how not to behave.