Who says one person can't change the world?
Less than a week ago, 47-year-old Susan Boyle was unemployed, and pretty much unknown beyond her hometown (in her own words: "a collection of villages"), outside of Edinburgh, Scotland.
As of midnight last night (Dubai time), the video of Boyle’s audition performance for Britain’s Got Talent 2009 has generated worldwide media coverage based on almost six million views, close to 40,000 five-star ratings, and 36,000 comments on YouTube.
Not bad for a beginner.
Backstage on April 11, at Britain’s Got Talent 2009, just before she was about to make her dream come true by singing in front of a large audience, Boyle says, “I’m nearly 48… currently unemployed, but still looking.”
She goes on to say with a smile on her face, and a twinkle in her eye: “At the moment, I live alone with my cat called Pebbles; I’ve never been married, never been kissed,” and then quips: “That’s not an advert!”
Once she’s on stage, judge Simon Cowell, the seemingly heartless American Idol judge that everyone loves to hate (kinda’ like Dubai lol), asks her: “So what’s the dream?”
She answers without hesitation: “I’m trying to be a professional singer.”
He looks incredulous. Members of the audience whisper between themselves and roll their eyes.
Simon counters: “And why hasn’t it worked out so far, Susan?”
“I’ve never been given me the chance before. But here’s hoping it’ll change,” she replies with assurance.
It’s obvious that the hundreds in the hall don’t believe she has a hope in hell, or that the three sitting in the judges’ seats expect anything out of the ordinary from the middle-aged woman who stands before them.
But Susan wows them all with an amazing rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream,” from Les Miserables. She stuns the judges. The audience is on its feet applauding virtually from the moment she opens her mouth. Now she has fan sites springing up all over the Internet, and her story is inspiring people around the world.
And the wonderful, magical irony is that the words she sings ("Now life has killed the dream I dreamed"), are the very words that are now enabling her to make her own dream come to life. The whole thing just fills me with wonder, amazement, joy and hope.
Hope. Just in the nick of time.
Thank you, Universe. Thank you, Susan Boyle.
Susan notes: 12 hours after I posted this story on www.amazingwomenrock.com, YouTube views and comments had climbed to over 10 million and nearly 60,000 respectively.
An ordinary 47-year-old unemployed, unmarried woman who lives alone with her cat inspires millions of people around the world with her dream, a song and the gift of hope.
Who says one person can't change the world?
See Susan Boyle sing here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
Photo: Mirror.co.uk
So many of us felt the warm glow evoked by Susan Boyle's performance but I'm wondering if I'm the only person that also had a nagging sense that our reaction is somehow sad. Watch as Susan takes the stage; the camera zooms in to the faces of the panel and audience and we see the same amused look of pity that a junior high school bully or popular kid might give to a kid they deem inferior.
Since the beginning of humankind we have been hard-wired to judge others(friend or foe) within the first 30 - 90 seconds of sight but our society has taken JUDGMENT to new lows with much of reality TV. This Darwin mentality isn't healthy for our children - it deepens insecurities and sows mean-spirited behavior. Who is good enough, who is smart enough, rich enough, hot enough, fierce enough, yuck. Judgment is often more harsh than kind so it was beautiful to see how quickly it EVOLVED from harsh to kind instead of the usual DEVOLVE from neutral to mean.
I am not certain that Susan was not just a ratings pawn - this story feels like a repeat of Paul Pott's story that got massive world attention a year or so ago.
posted by JeanneMale on 4/16/2009 4:56 pm