Miss America 2014

"The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye; the more light you pour upon it, the more it will contract." -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Source: Flickr user Andy Jones

The crowned Miss America 2014 is from New York... and ethnically Indian.  Americans have taken to the internet to express their dismay over the choice:

@LukeBrasili tweeted, "9/11 was 4 days ago and she gets miss America?"
@savannah_dale97 tweeted, "Miss New York is an Indian.. With all do respect, this is America"
and @SSHANN___Wow even tweeted, "Miss America right now or miss Al Qaeda?"

Such responses make my blood roil.  I want to shout back at these people by pointing out their bigotry.  Our definitions of American undoubtedly differ.  No matter how much these folks desire the contrary, a few things about America are certainly true: our country is a heterogeneous society; our country became so great because it is a leader in international relations (and military prowess, for sure); and nearly everyone in our country is not ethnically "American," but rather a descendant of immigrants.

I realize that writing about this is preaching to the choir because of the demographics of my readers.  The irony of having such homogeneously-thinking friends and family is not lost on me.  While I'm talking about accepting multiculturalism, I am intolerant of people with vastly different fundamental beliefs.  Is that justified or is it not?