»Ducky Posted October 18, 2005 Report Posted October 18, 2005 Just saw it on the news this morning, figured I would post something.Here Thoughts?Is this a valid concern, or are people taking things too far.
Gibs. Posted October 18, 2005 Report Posted October 18, 2005 Blah, I also saw that this morning... It's always going to happen... Why start doing something now? Drugs, Sex, and ect are always going to be around highschool parties... blah oh well. Atleast ours hasnt been canceld yet...
Aileron Posted October 18, 2005 Report Posted October 18, 2005 Its not too far...it just doesn't solve the problem. Those who rented the house and chartered the cruise will still go. The school has a right to be concerned...If I had that much money, I wouldn't consider that. I'd have saved it to ease off on some of the college expenses I have now, or atleast buy something that lasts longer than one night like a nice car or 1337 computer. (1337 computer actually, my car is ugly, but she's reliable and has good gas mileage.) How is this the school's concern? Note that this is a Catholic school and not a public school...schools in the private sector don't have to follow the same rules as public schools. Private schools have something to prove, and have the right to expell students who are making academic mistakes, and blowing off college money on a prom date is a big academic mistake. I will admit I have feelings of bitterness over exactly this subject. I didn't go to my prom because it was too expensive. I didn't have enough money to rent a tux, a limo, or pay for any of the fancy things most high school students accept as the norm. I could have gone in a cheap suit, buying my date some fast food on the way in my ugly/reliable car, but then I'd have been a loser. However, I disagree with the decision because it does not solve the problem. It does help students to realise that its just a high school dance, not some grand moment in their life like their marriage or when their children will be born, but its mostly a clean miss. Maybe a ban to those who spent more than $2,000 dollars on prom-related stuff would be more appropriate.
»Ducky Posted October 18, 2005 Author Report Posted October 18, 2005 I agree with many of Ailerons points. I was hoping that the private/public difference wouldn't come up, but it did. Despite what the school is, I think appropriate action was taken.Prom isn't the end all to all things, and I myself find it considerably silly to spend that much money. Similar to Aileron, I also didn't attend any proms. Not because I lacked the funds, (Which I did regardless) but because as pointed out earlier: It seemed like a big waste of money. My personal solution to the prom is making it non formal for the most part.It won't have an immediate effect, but over the years, more and more kids will start spending less as the idea spreads.
Aileron Posted October 18, 2005 Report Posted October 18, 2005 Well, in technicality I did have the money, its just that I really didn't want to commit that percentage of my bank account to one night. You are right, I exaggerated the private/public school difference. High school dances are optional events, so public schools have a right to use them to impose beliefs on students as well.
MonteZuma Posted October 18, 2005 Report Posted October 18, 2005 We don't really have a prom tradition in Australia, so it is hard for me to understand this issue. On a related note, virtually all Australian public schools have a school uniform. One of the biggest arguments for this is that it puts disadvantaged and advantaged kids on a level playing field. Kids can't wear designer brand clothes to impress and poor kids don't need to try to compete. Compe!@#$%^&*ion and peer pressure are big issues for teens. Anything to alleviate that (other than academic compe!@#$%^&*ion) is probably a good thing.
»Ducky Posted October 19, 2005 Author Report Posted October 19, 2005 In my experience--Children who were poor laughed at the rich kids who wasted money on the same cloths with a label.Children who were rich laughed at the poor kids who didn't have money for a label. Kinda pointless.
Greased_Lightning Posted October 19, 2005 Report Posted October 19, 2005 Wow three words sum this up: Spoiled...Rich...Kids Oh but we still get a 4-day trip to Disney World... Wow. Spending thousands on prom? What are these kids buying, gold encrusted tuxes? I spent something like 100 bucks for my tux rental and tickets to prom. I don't know what the girls spend on their prom dresses but I don't think its $1000+. I think this school made a good call, even though the students won't learn anything from it thanks to their overindulgent parents. $10,000-20,000 on one party in high school that no one will care about once they leave their prissy pampered lives and enter the real world. I wish I had parents that just gave me a jet black infiniti, I'd trade it in for something useful like tuition and a cheaper car. Actually, scratch that, I'm more glad that I don't. You can't put a price tag on character and responsibility. Kids these days... they just don't get it.
Dr.Worthless Posted October 21, 2005 Report Posted October 21, 2005 And here in the United States we wonder why the newest generation coming up has a higher rate of inep!@#$%^&*ude, a higher likelyhood to cheat, etc, etc, etc. In this instance the prom was simply socioeconomic event, with the "Haves" participating and the "Have-Nots" being excluded. The principle in this case made the right decision. Here in Arkansas the problem isn't as bad as it is in other places, but there is a wide disparity between the "have" and "have nots". It's not right to lump children based on their family's socioeconomic level, but in my experiences my hardest working children are those that haven't had life handed to them, where as children who are privledged tend to expect things given to them, without much effort on their part. I wish parents would realize that they are only hurting their children when they treat them like royalty. The above being said, its only the extreme cases of over-privledge that really produce non-productive members of society, and unfortunatly the parents are only breeding life long leeches. As to my Prom. $45 on a rented tux, picked my girlfriend up in my 84 Camaro that I paid $1500 for, and we had a blast
»i88gerbils Posted October 21, 2005 Report Posted October 21, 2005 Don't think that the newer generation is worse than the ones previous. I blame only one thing for causing my generation to be !@#$%^&*!@#$%^&*s: Woody the Woodpecker.
Aileron Posted October 21, 2005 Report Posted October 21, 2005 Jeez...so its everyone against me here as usual. The principle shouldn't have cancelled the prom. Its not a matter of whether or not there was a problem, there clearly was. The problem is that cancelling the prom doesn't solve to problem. If it did, it would be a great decision. What's going to happen is that the children who spent $10,000 - $20,000 on cruise or lodge rentals will still rent the cruise or lodge, and those who wisely didn't want to spend that much won't get anything. It takes a little from the haves and a little from the have-nots...but at the end of the day this causes the haves to still have their memorable night on the cruise ship or lodge, and leaves the have-nots with a night of either staying at home or making some crude celebration with their friends. The only real solution to the problems lie along the lines of what Ducky and I said...either make it informal, or refuse to sell tickets to students who spent more than $2,000 to prom night. The problem with making it informal is while it solves the problem in the prom specific case, it does nothing to teach the children fiscal responsability. The problem with my method is that a school really doesn't have that kind of authority to tell people what to do with their own money. Thus comes Ail'ssolution V 2.0: Make admission to prom be paid for by a few hours of volunteer service. While I can't stand for similar policies for graduation (Then it amounts to a very light case of slave labor, because you wouldn't give the students legal option to refuse...teaching them very bad lessons.), I would say that volunteer service would be a good option here.
Greased_Lightning Posted October 21, 2005 Report Posted October 21, 2005 How are you supposed to prove that they didnt overspend? Make them bring in receipts? That won't work. I like the volunteer idea though.
»i88gerbils Posted October 21, 2005 Report Posted October 21, 2005 Hmm.. if you misread the topic it looks like "Long Island school pr0n cancelled".
Dr.Worthless Posted October 22, 2005 Report Posted October 22, 2005 The poor kids weren't participating in the Prom anyway, so its a moot point trying to argue that canceling the prom deprives them of the experience. Its a question of liability in my eyes, if the Prom couldn't be controlled due to spoiled rich kids, its in the schools best interest to cancle the prom, that simple.
»Ducky Posted October 22, 2005 Author Report Posted October 22, 2005 and leaves the have-nots with a night of either staying at home or making some crude celebration with their friends.My fondest memories are from such nights.
Dr.Worthless Posted October 22, 2005 Report Posted October 22, 2005 God, as are mine.. Growing up in a city of 4,000 in the Arkansas mountains, most of us had never seen $20,000 in our lives, much less renting a "lodge" or going on a cruise worth that much. I wouldn't give up the dozens of parties out at my friends hunting cabin in the middle of the Ozark mountains. Beautiful location, about 30 miles out of civilization in the middle of bum-!@#$%^&* nowhere, along the banks of the Mulberry River. Me and my buds still go out there upon occasion, possibly the best place in the world. www.turnerbend.com if you all are curious to see the terrain and surroundings of this little piece of heaven =), unfortunatly Arkansas has been through a drought this year, the river hasn't been much over 1.0 since the begining of the year =/
»Ducky Posted October 22, 2005 Author Report Posted October 22, 2005 The north leads me to believe they still have Slaves too.
MonteZuma Posted October 23, 2005 Report Posted October 23, 2005 Hmm.. if you misread the topic it looks like "Long Island school pr0n cancelled".Aaaah. I'm not crazy afterall.
MonteZuma Posted October 23, 2005 Report Posted October 23, 2005 Yeah, as Aileron says, cancelling the prom doesn't achieve much. I'm not sure that this is about fiscal responsibility. If the kids or their parents can afford it then it can be fiscally responsible to blow big bucks on a party. The problem is conspicuous consumption. The kids are learning this from their parents (and from television shows like OC and Desperate Housewives, etc, etc). Over consumption and competetive spending became trendy in the 80s and they are habits that haven't disappeared. The school can make their feeble protest, but this won't lead to a social revolution that changes society's distorted value-systems.
Aileron Posted October 24, 2005 Report Posted October 24, 2005 Its not fiscally responsable whether you have the money or not. You don't get rich or stay rich by wasting money. Some of the richest people in the world are still penny-pinchers (not counting celebreties and sports stars). Sometimes rich people do make parties with bigger price tags, but they invite powerfull people to those parties, so in actuallity they are using the parties as a business expense to build new connections. $20,000 can be used to feed an entire third world country for a week...students should learn to count the blessings they have by using them properly.
MonteZuma Posted October 24, 2005 Report Posted October 24, 2005 If you're loaded, you can make a responsible decision to waste money. Anyway. I think we agree it is wasteful.
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