re: I Should Know This By Now...

Okay, here's the situation: I was invited to a public speaking forum that, as it turned out, was actually a competition of sorts. There were three of us involved; me, and two other "guests" of existing members, one of whom was a member of this organization's Atlanta chapter (Not to mention that "Ms. Atlanta" had that very day paid the dues for her daughter to join the Valdosta chapter). One by one we approached the lectern, received our topic, and with no preparation whatsoever gave our respective impropmtu speech. Ms. Atlanta, who was first, received the topic, "Would you rather go back in time and speak with your great-grandfather, or go to the future and speak with your great-grandchildren?" Her response was (paraphrasing), "I would like my daughter to find a good man, settle down, and have children because I look forward to spending time with my grandbabies...blah-blah-blah." She never once even attempted to answer the question as it had been presented. I was the second speaker, accepted my topic of, "What drive has provided you with the most beautiful scenery?" My response was centered around going to my father's grave after an eleven-year absence, and how, as I drove, my "scenery" was all the wonderful memories that filled my head. From there I wenrt on to state how we humans tend to romanticize the past, but how that is a good thing because it allows for us to let go while still holding on. The third speaker was asked what view she would most like to see from her back door, and she stated that since she was from the Carribean and lived on the beach, she had already had the most beautiful view she could ever hope for. So, Ms. Atlanta won the "competition," which does not surprise me for the reasons already mentioned. As I stated in my previous post: It is not what you know, or how well you perform, but who you know...and in this case ponying up the dough was a big help as well, I am sure. I am not "crying" over "losing," but I am saying that in an organization that wishes to present a fair image of itself, this one has seriously faltered. It was bias plain and simple. I suppose my only validation comes from the fact that the club's president approached me after the meeting had ended and told me that regardless of what the concensus was, mine was the best speech.