The 1960s were revolutionary, the 1970s, stoned, the 1980s, tacky, the 1990s, unremarkable, and the aughts, yet to be decided. But one thing that truly marks this decade lies in the sheer amount of technological changes.

While the 2000s marked our first primate president, our first African American president, the bloom of reality television and my column, the Internet and its perpetuation of viral videos, promiscuous photos and easily accessible information (most of which consists of utter nonsense) truly shapes our age. It also means that mistakes will never be forgotten, as they appear in blogs, vlogs, SNL clips, iPhone applications, and computer wallpapers that read “FAIL.”

Over the past ten years, the Internet has ensured that linguistic bungles never disappear. Not since Don Quayle misspelled potato in the ‘80s have politicians and celebrities been forced to admit to the public that they have the English skills of a third grader. Throughout the years we’ve mocked and cried at the grammatical errors of George Bush, Kanye West, Paris Hilton and Sarah Palin, just to name a few. However, despite their clear mental inadequacies, none compare to 2007’s Miss Teen South Carolina.

South Carolina, the first state to secede from the Union, may not have achieved a reputation of forward thinking. But not until Miss Teen USA in 2007 had they represented non-thinking.

Caitlin Upton of Lexington, South Carolina could have never fathomed the difficulty of pageantry until the vindictive judges hurled  at her this question: “Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can’t locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?”

Miss Upton’s reply?

“I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some . . . people out there in our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as in South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, our education over HERE in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future, for our children.”

Somehow the above quotation was the response, although I suppose if asked a wide variety of questions, Miss Upton’s answer would have done an equally terrible job of answering them.

Thus, I extend my congratulations to Caitlin Upton and the great state that she so poorly represented. In the decade of overexposure and underqualification, she has risen above all others. Bravo to Miss Teen South Carolina, 2007, for making the cut as the most illiterate person of the aughts.