{"id":55466,"date":"2012-02-13T09:10:32","date_gmt":"2012-02-13T13:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=55466"},"modified":"2012-02-13T09:10:32","modified_gmt":"2012-02-13T13:10:32","slug":"why-a-mr-dominica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/homepage\/features\/commentary\/why-a-mr-dominica\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a Mr. Dominica?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/commentary2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-39536\" title=\"commentary\" src=\"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/commentary2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"286\" height=\"206\" \/><\/a>Why such a competition?\u00a0 Because I have the conviction that if each person plays her or his part in harnessing the talent of our young people and bringing back the basic values of respect, that we can stem the tide of negativism and turn around the skepticism that is too often associated with our male populace in particular.<\/p>\n<p>Together we can make a difference in each others\u2019 lives; we can encourage one another to pursue our dreams, not discourage, we can build Dominica together, one idea at a time, not break it down, we can lift our people to become all that we can be, not limit, we can empower each other to reach our full potential, not disempower.<br \/>\nWhen I think about the events in history that people remember, there&#8217;s always controversy, something edgy.\u00a0 Well we had controversy, that\u2019s for sure, and it\u2019s certainly edgy \u2013 after all it\u2019s a male pageant in Dominica.<\/p>\n<p>Someone said to me, \u201cMora don\u2019t call it a pageant, you won\u2019t get any contestants.\u201d\u00a0 Well seven courageous, bright and talented young men, for whom I have the deepest admiration, participated in the competition.\u00a0 They are remarkable; amidst all the negativity they remained focused and determined.\u00a0 Someone else told me, \u201cDon\u2019t call them contestants, call them competitors,\u201d and I thought, since when did the word \u2018contestant\u2019 have a gender, but this was just a bit of what we had to face.\u00a0 Despite all this we pressed on.<\/p>\n<p>As I observed the contestants battling with being in the show, not for any innate or intrinsic reason but largely because of external pressures, and as I helped them to work through some of the issues, I was compelled to put my most recent thoughts that are constantly penned in the corners of my mind, to paper:<\/p>\n<p>ODE TO DETRACTORS<\/p>\n<p>We place our children in boxes, telling them how they should look<br \/>\nWe scold a boy who plays with dolls and wants to learn to cook<br \/>\nWe say it\u2019s okay for boys to get on wassy and sow their wild oats<br \/>\nWe pretend our double standards don\u2019t exist or attempt to sugar coat<\/p>\n<p>Rampant in DA are crime, domestic violence and child molestation<br \/>\nYet we occupy our thoughts with someone&#8217;s sexual orientation<\/p>\n<p>Opportunities for young men are lost\u2026no\u2026 stolen, every day<br \/>\nBecause of victimization, personal agendas or he\u2019s perceived as gay<\/p>\n<p>R we afraid of what is different or averse to anyone who stands out<br \/>\nR we only concerned with tearing down, is that all that we\u2019re about<\/p>\n<p>If all of us are happy, does that make us all gay<br \/>\nor is it that people must have something to say<\/p>\n<p>If we are all not straight, then are we all bent<br \/>\nor is that not what is really meant<\/p>\n<p>We make comments not founded in truth; that r careless<br \/>\nWhen we should persuade each other to be strong and fearless<\/p>\n<p>Have we become so cold and bold, only to be a detractor<br \/>\nSacrificing creativity and individuality at the expense of another<\/p>\n<p>What does it take for us to become a more caring society,<br \/>\nMore accepting of our difference, not just our similarity<\/p>\n<p>Facebook was founded in a university dorm, its inventor just 20 at the time<br \/>\nToday it\u2019s valued @ $100B US Dollars and reached the 500 million-user line<\/p>\n<p>How then r we going to produce the next inventor or innovator<br \/>\nWhen we dismiss or stifle the dreams of someone who may differ<\/p>\n<p>We didn&#8217;t know that we would meet such adversity and hostility<br \/>\nbut we made it through with strength and tenacity<\/p>\n<p>We are measured by the lives that we reach<br \/>\nThe number that we teach<br \/>\nThe people that we inspire and appreciate<br \/>\nOur legacy of service and ability to motivate<\/p>\n<p>Find your passion and focus on it<br \/>\nLend a helping hand wherever you see fit<br \/>\nTransfer your skills &amp; knowledge to the next generation<br \/>\nMake a positive mark on the minds of the youth of this nation<br \/>\nMake Dominica a place where everyone can find an equal space<br \/>\nMake this region and this world a much better place<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marie-Antoinette Mora is the organizer of the first ever Mr. Dominica competition.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why such a competition?\u00a0 Because I have the conviction that if each person plays her or his part in harnessing the talent of our young people and bringing back the basic values of respect, that we can stem the tide&#8230;","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why a Mr. Dominica? - Dominica 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