December 13, 2005--Fiddle On
Evolution I can understand. Even gay marriage I can understand. But Proms? When did they get caught up in the Culture Wars?
I always thought of them as a relatively innocent thing—maybe graduating high school seniors would drink a little more than what they would guzzle down on a typical Saturday night; maybe they would get a little higher; maybe they would stay out all night to watch the sun rise (that always seemed a little romantic); and maybe a few would even get laid rather than administer oral sex on each other. No big deal. Teenage America circa 2005. So what’s the problem?
Well, senior proms are now on the front lines of the CWs. The NY Times recently reported that an increasing number of high schools are canceling them (see link for full article) because educators are disgusted by the decadent “prom culture.” Yes, some see them to be nothing short of school-sponsored bacchanals that reflect an anything-goes attitude.
Parents are being faulted for renting houses for the kids so that couples can spend the entire night together, winking at the use of alcohol and drugs and even arranging for overnight cruises for their precious ones. But some parents and school officials are claiming that the prom is also a time to lose one’s virginity—assuming junior is still intact, so to speak. To quote a harried administrator at Kellenberg High, “This is supposed to be a dance, not a honeymoon.”
But the concerns run deeper—some are seeing proms to be obscene displays of conspicuous consumption. It is not uncommon to cost $500 to $1,000 per person for dresses, tuxes, limos, corsages, and parties both before and after the actual event.
Others who are more socially conscious are perceiving a prom gap in which rich and poor wind up walking up very separate and unequal aisles on the big night. To them, these mega-proms are another example of “consumer-driven parenting,” in which parents who want to manage all aspects of their children’s lives see the prom as yet one more experience they can purchase. Thus we see Sweet Sixteen parties that look like weddings and weddings that look more like coronations.
And if you were thinking we are talking about small potatoes, think again—the Prom Industry in America is estimated to gross about $2.7 billion annually.
So I say, let the orgies continue!
I always thought of them as a relatively innocent thing—maybe graduating high school seniors would drink a little more than what they would guzzle down on a typical Saturday night; maybe they would get a little higher; maybe they would stay out all night to watch the sun rise (that always seemed a little romantic); and maybe a few would even get laid rather than administer oral sex on each other. No big deal. Teenage America circa 2005. So what’s the problem?
Well, senior proms are now on the front lines of the CWs. The NY Times recently reported that an increasing number of high schools are canceling them (see link for full article) because educators are disgusted by the decadent “prom culture.” Yes, some see them to be nothing short of school-sponsored bacchanals that reflect an anything-goes attitude.
Parents are being faulted for renting houses for the kids so that couples can spend the entire night together, winking at the use of alcohol and drugs and even arranging for overnight cruises for their precious ones. But some parents and school officials are claiming that the prom is also a time to lose one’s virginity—assuming junior is still intact, so to speak. To quote a harried administrator at Kellenberg High, “This is supposed to be a dance, not a honeymoon.”
But the concerns run deeper—some are seeing proms to be obscene displays of conspicuous consumption. It is not uncommon to cost $500 to $1,000 per person for dresses, tuxes, limos, corsages, and parties both before and after the actual event.
Others who are more socially conscious are perceiving a prom gap in which rich and poor wind up walking up very separate and unequal aisles on the big night. To them, these mega-proms are another example of “consumer-driven parenting,” in which parents who want to manage all aspects of their children’s lives see the prom as yet one more experience they can purchase. Thus we see Sweet Sixteen parties that look like weddings and weddings that look more like coronations.
And if you were thinking we are talking about small potatoes, think again—the Prom Industry in America is estimated to gross about $2.7 billion annually.
So I say, let the orgies continue!
posted by Steven Zwerling at
4:54 PM
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