I echo ELB's sentiments about there being nothing wrong with being on the show. I do actually watch it on a semi-regular basis, and I am entertained. There's nothing wrong with dance as either an art form or as entertainment......whether one is dancing to entertain, or being entertained by dance. And the whole "sissy stigma" is a bunch of crap. Back in the 1970s, when I (yes me, the crusty bearded old one) was taking ballet classes, I found out for myself just how difficult dance is, and the degree of athleticism it demands from the people who study it. At the time, there was a study done by (IIRC) the American College of Orthopeadic Surgeons which compared the fitness levels of various kinds of athletes/performers as groups, to try and determine which groups had the greatest fitness demands placed upon them. The "no-brainier" assumption for most people would have been something like either NFL athletes, or Olympians. It turns out that the two most fit categories of athletes in their studies were professional motocross racers, and professional ballet dancers. How many people reading my words right now are in such great shape that they can not only lift their wives over their heads, but then hold them up there in the air while they themselves dance around the room?
I was a mere tyro and took the classes because (a) I'm interested in dance as a spectator, and (b) it was one of the few interests my ex-wife and I could do together because she was not very tolerant of my other main interest — which was, at the time, martial arts. I found out just how hard dance really is, and so I have an appreciation for both those who perform it at the highest levels, and for those who have the courage to tackle it as an amateur avocation — especially in such a public forum as a TV show where they open themselves up for a certain amount of ridicule from people of smaller minds. Criticizing someone who shows up to compete on that show is like criticizing the person who has no chance of winning for having showed up at the Olympic trials and at least trying. That kind of courage is to be admired, not scoffed at. So for these amateurs to show up on DWTS, particularly when their own lack of ability is made more apparent by being paired with such brilliant professionals, takes a certain amount of personal courage. And even the pros - even for the "lower disciplines" like ballroom dancing - are pretty severely winded at the end of a routine. So for an amateur, it is grueling work, no matter how far down the totem pole they are found.
Laugh if you want. I'm actually little envious of them, and I would give anything to still be physically able to tackle dance if that's what I wanted to do. God bless Rick Perry for having the courage and the stamina to try — no matter what you think about him politically, or about the snowflake mentality of the judges, or any of that stuff. And I will say this too: despite the flamingly purple passion for the LGBTQ agenda possessed by the judges, out on the dance floor where it counts, they have been absolutely impartial in judging performances, regardless of the competitor's personal social or political background..... ....because they are being judged as dancers, and nothing else. In that light, they are a meritocracy. For example, they could have used the show to savage Sarah Palin's daughter (forgotten her name) when she competed, but they didn't. They dispensed almost nothing but praise.....because she was good at what she did on the show.
I probably see about half the episodes in any given season, but I think it is good entertainment, and I have no problem with Rick Perry being a contestant.
