Spelling Bee Kids

I'm all for the pursuit of academia, but come on...really?
I've been sitting in my living room for a solid hour now, watching ESPN's coverage of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy watching the spelling bee at least a little bit. It's kind of fun to try and give each word your best shot. Obviously I fail most of the time because, let's be honest, these words are as ridiculous as they are useless. However, after watching these high-pantsed propeller heads sweat over the microphone for an hour, it's clear that the only thing more complex than their vocabulary is their social ineptitude.
I just could not fathom putting my child (whom I would love) through such a terrible existence. Not only are they essentially losing their childhood in its entirety, but they're also being brought up in a way that will not prepare them for the real world. Life isn't about being locked up in a stuffy room with your nose in a dictionary. No business will consider knowing Sanskrit roots as an advantage in the application process. Like I mentioned before, being home-schooled by Merriam Webster doesn't exactly help one develop interpersonal social skills.
What I'm saying is: Parents! You are ruining your child's life! I don't care if you have an inadequacy complex and are trying to live vicariously through your sweaty mess of a child. You are not helping! As a matter of fact, you are detrimental to your child's development as a person.

I mean could anybody really argue that one of these home school products is better prepared for a life of occupational collaboration than, say, an average student with exceptional, or even mediocre, social skills who doesn't happen to know how to spell bougainvillea?

I'd really like to sit down with these parents and these kids and see what their plans are for life after the age of 15. How has devoting the child's life to tedious memorization helped them develop as people? Better yet, how hasn't it harmed them?
Maybe I'm just a cynic. Maybe I'm just jealous. All that I know is that I'd never put a child through such a lonely and stressful life. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting me be...human.