Philosophy Now Forum

Being a good Catholic boy, I was watching the Fighting Irish and heard Brent Mussberger exclaim: “What a beautiful woman!” He certainly was shocked by beauty. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm0EqXIAlWw

The beautiful object’s mysterious power to suddenly shock the observer is precisely an effect and an indication of the existence of beauty.

He was subsequently criticized for his reaction to beauty. His remarks were "sexist" it was alleged. And his employer ESPN even apologized for his display. However, he was defended by Ms. Webb.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5dPDF72HY0

The silly criticism of Mussberger indicates the general politicization and ignorance of college "educated" Americans. To my knowledge, no one in the press or media wondered philosophically about the root of the announcer's extraordinary reaction to being suddenly confronted with outstanding beauty.

As I viewed the silliness, I remembered some text from James Schall's chapter on the "order of beauty" in his wonderful book, The Order Of Things:

"Beauty pleases, yet it also can take our breath away. Somehow it "radiates". It has a splendor. There is a reality about it that is truly there, a reality that we acknowledge and react to. Beauty applies to and arises within the being that possesses it." p. 206

In my view, Mussberger's reaction was the natural response of the ordinary man to the reality of beauty.
http://www.amazon.com/Order-Things-Fath ... +of+things

tbieter wrote:... In my view, Mussberger's reaction was the natural response of the ordinary man to the reality of beauty.

Whilst I agree there are attributes that cross cultures with respect to beauty I think this more a case of a cultural response from an ordinary mans reaction to the reality of his culturally defined sense of beauty.

Arising_uk wrote:

tbieter wrote:... In my view, Mussberger's reaction was the natural response of the ordinary man to the reality of beauty.

Whilst I agree there are attributes that cross cultures with respect to beauty I think this more a case of a cultural response from an ordinary mans reaction to the reality of his culturally defined sense of beauty.

I think that Ms. Webb's beauty is best defined by the word elegance.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictiona ... 1361903520 And I think that the qualities that make up elegance are not taught by society, They are just naturally acquired.

In contrast, consider Ellen Degeneris. Her beauty consists in being cute, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cute not in being elegant. http://search.aol.com/aol/image?q=ellen ... searchtabs

Cute females are many; elegance is rare.

The observing male will be pleased by the former, but stunned when he suddenly sees an elegant woman.

tbieter wrote:In contrast, consider Ellen Degeneris. Her beauty consists in being cute ...

Does it? I thought it was that she was obviously intelligent with a good sense of humour, 'cute' just doesn't seem to apply.

For me elegance also consists of movement and manners, since that women didn't move and I haven't heard her speak I can't really judge if she was elegant or not.

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Elegance is a wonderful attribute to have...but just being elegant is not enough for me to comment about a woman's beauty as sometimes elegance by itself can become boring after a while.

Take elegance and add a touch of weird, a dab of funny, a pinch of mystery and sexuality and that is when I take notice and say, "What a beautiful woman!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3986lZE0Gc

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No Bill...not exactly like that. That girl just has talent. lol And if she didn't pull her blouse off and instead did not move, wore the right clothes and did not speak...then she would just be elegant.

No No...I am really really picky. Not only do I want beauty to be everything at the exact moment...so that I have seen something unique for all time....never again to be as perfect as has touched earth and moved it...

If beauty is not all encompassing, then it's just a gimmick.

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This is what I call a beautiful woman, British-Australian. Class, talent and beauty and sexual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJnKxIj_D6A


and....doesn't belong to the sisterhood.

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Wow. That is a GREAT clip.


Do you relate to the girl being interviewed? What she had gone through?






...I like the little music riff after the clip ran.













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reasonvemotion wrote:This is what I call a beautiful woman, British-Australian. Class, talent and beauty and sexual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJnKxIj_D6A


and....doesn't belong to the sisterhood.

Wow, a woman who thinks she stands above and beyond all other women...how rare.

Think about this....if she had class, would she put down other women?

She is pretty and talented though.

I was having a really interesting conversation with another artist the other day and he happened to mention something about people mistaking kindness for weakness, and I asked him why he thought that was...he had no idea. I had the same response.

I just don't get it.

That is why I was perplexed at Reasonvemotions choice for most beautiful woman and her description of what that entails. It seems to me the character in the scene had not a care for anyone other than herself. This is seen as a strength? Tell me...when did this become an attribute? When did putting yourself first become something to be admired as beautiful?

I just don't get it.

Here is a beautiful character who is immersed in the 'sisterhood' to Cosette's welfare.

Surely there is beauty in kind and unselfish acts?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsS1MS3EqyM

Wow, a woman who thinks she stands above and beyond all other women...how rare.

Think about this....if she had class, would she put down other women?

She is pretty and talented though.

It is not her who puts down, it is the other women who attempt to do this. Women can be bitches, similar to what you have said in your reply post to me, adding the rolling of your eyes and the touch of sarcasm, it really is a perfect example of what I am saying. What the actress is conveying in her interview is she is not thinking she is above or beyond, she is stating a fact and learned early in her life women don't like her. She has never been admitted into the sisterhood, nor does she want to be. She operates better on her own. Some women are like that. She doesnt care what others think or say about her, she doesnt play their games. Class? She has plenty of that as she is an individual, her own person.